US soldier to plead guilty to desertion after fleeing to North Korea

The US Army filed 14 charges against King, who was returned home, but King plans to plead guilty to five, including desertion and assault, BBC News reported Monday.

King deserted his post in July 2023 and was incarcerated in a North Korean prison for a few months. He was originally also charged with possession of child pornography but "he will plead not guilty to the remaining offenses, which the Army will withdraw and dismiss," his lawyer, Franklin Rosenblatt, said in a statement to BBC.

A hearing in which King will enter his plea and be sentenced will occur on September 20 at Fort Bliss USA base in Texas. "Travis’s guilty plea will be entered at a general court-martial," Rosenblatt said in a statement.

"There, he will explain what he did, answer a military judge’s questions about why he is pleading guilty and be sentenced," the lawyer continued.

The lawyer said King wishes to thank his family and friends who did not “pre-judge” him for his actions.

King joined the army in January 2021 and was detained for two months while in South Korea on assault charges. King was also charged with assault and insubordination for leaving his base after curfew and consuming alcohol contrary to army regulations, BBC noted.

King entered North Korea through the demilitarized zone and was returned to South Korea after Swedish negotiators secured a deal for his release. It is not known how he was treated at the hands of the North Korean penal system or why the communist regime released him. The US made no concessions for that release.