Travis King, American soldier who crossed into North Korea last year, he pleaded guilty to desertion and other charges, the US Army announced on Friday.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, the 24-year-old Army veteran pleaded guilty at a military court hearing Friday at Fort Bliss, Texas, to desertion, three counts of disobeying a commissioned officer and one count of assaulting a police officer. non-commissioned officer, the Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel said in a news conference.
King was sentenced to 12 months in prison, but will receive credit for time served. He also received a demotion to E1, the lowest enlisted rank, and a dishonorable discharge.
When he fled North Korea in July 2023, King was about to fly to the US from Seoul after serving time in a South Korean prison for beating two people and kicking a police car while in the country. However, after arriving at the airport, he skipped his flight and ran across the border from South Korea to North Korea while participating in a guided tour of the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
After holding him for about two months, the North Koreans deported him to China, who transferred him to American custody in September 2023. American officials at the time said that no compromise had been made by Washington to secure King’s release.
He has been held in the Otero County Jail in New Mexico since returning to the U.S. It was unclear if he was released from custody following a hearing on Friday.
He was initially charged with 14 charges, but his lawyer announced last month that as part of his plea, nine of the 14 charges were dismissed.
King has served in the US Army since January 2021 and was in South Korea as part of the Pentagon’s Korean Force Rotation.
“The result of today’s court-martial is a fair and just result that reflects the seriousness of the crimes committed by Pvt. King and will promote good order and discipline within the United States Army by preventing soldiers from committing similar crimes in the future,” Maj. Allyson Montgomery, who is an Army prosecutor, in a statement.
Tucker Reals, Eleanor Watson and
contributed to this report.
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