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US soldier who entered North Korea pleads guilty to desertion

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  • US soldier who entered North Korea pleads guilty to desertion
  • September 21, 2024
  • Article Body Text Washington — <p>A U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea last year pleaded guilty to desertion on Friday as part of a plea agreement and was sentenced to 12 months of confinement, his lawyer said.</p> <p>Because of good behavior and time served, the soldier was released, according to the lawyer.</p> <p>Travis King was facing 14 charges related to him fleeing across the border from South Korea into the North in July 2023 while on a sightseeing tour of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula, and for prior incidents.</p> <p>But he pleaded guilty to just five — desertion, assault on a noncommissioned officer, and three counts of disobeying an officer — as part of a deal that was accepted on Friday by a military judge.</p> <p>&quot;The judge, under the terms of the plea deal, sentenced Travis to one year of confinement, reduction in rank to private (E-1), forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge,&quot; a statement from King's attorney Franklin Rosenblatt said.</p> <p>&quot;With time already served and credit for good behavior, Travis is now free and will return home,&quot; the statement said.</p> <p>&quot;Travis King has faced significant challenges throughout his life, including a difficult upbringing, exposure to criminal environments, and struggles with mental health,&quot; Rosenblatt said. &quot;All these factors have compounded the hardships he faced in the military.&quot;</p> <p>In a statement, the U.S. Army's Office of Special Trial Counsel confirmed King's guilty plea as part of a deal and said that &quot;pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement, all other charges and specifications were dismissed.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;The outcome of today's court martial is a fair and just result that reflects the seriousness of the offenses committed by Pvt. King,&quot; prosecutor Major Allyson Montgomery said in the statement.</p> <p>At the time of the incident, King had been stationed in South Korea, and after a drunken bar fight and a stay in South Korean jail, he was supposed to fly back to Texas to face disciplinary hearings.</p> <p>Instead, he walked out of the Seoul-area airport, joined a DMZ sightseeing trip and slipped over the fortified border where he was detained by the communist North's authorities.</p> <p>Pyongyang had said that King had defected to North Korea to escape &quot;mistreatment and racial discrimination in the U.S. Army.&quot;</p> <p>But after completing its investigation, North Korea &quot;decided to expel&quot; King in September for illegally intruding into its territory.</p>
  • Content Type Text
  • Language English
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date September 20, 2024 21:19 EDT
  • Byline Agence France-Presse
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
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