US soldier who defected to North Korea pleads guilty to desertion

A photo of U.S. soldier Travis King is shown on a TV screen in Seoul, Sept. 27, 2023

Travis King, a U.S. serviceman who crossed the border into North Korea last year, pleaded guilty Friday to desertion. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison as part of a plea agreement, his lawyer said, Agence France-Presse reported.

King was released because of his good behavior and time already served, his lawyer said.

He faces 14 charges related to his defection across the border from South Korea to North Korea in July 2023 while on a sightseeing tour of the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean Peninsula. However, he pleaded guilty to only five counts: desertion, assault on an officer, and three counts of disobeying an officer.

“The judge, as part of the plea deal, sentenced Travis to one year in prison, a reduction in rank to private, forfeit of all pay and benefits, and a dishonorable discharge,” his attorney Franklin Rosenblatt said in a statement, adding that “after serving his time and showing good behavior, Travis is now a free man and will be returning home.”"Travis King has faced significant challenges throughout his life, including a difficult upbringing, exposure to a criminal environment, and mental health issues," Rosenblatt said, noting that "all of these factors contributed to the difficulties he faced in the military."

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In a statement, the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel confirmed King's guilty plea as part of a plea deal and said "pursuant to the terms of the plea bargain, all remaining charges and claims were dismissed."

"The court-martial's decision is a fair and just result that reflects the seriousness of the crimes committed by Private King," Maj. U.S. Attorney Allison Montgomery said in a statement.

King was in South Korea at the time of the incident, and after a drunken bar fight and a stint in a South Korean jail, he was scheduled to fly back to Texas to face a disciplinary hearing.

Instead, he walked out of the airport, joined a tour of the DMZ, and crossed the border, where he was detained by North Korean authorities.

Pyongyang said King had traveled to North Korea to escape “abuse and racial discrimination in the U.S. military.” However, after an investigation was completed, North Korea “decided to expel” King in September for illegally entering its territory.

By Sergey Daga