Army Private Who Fled to North Korea Will Plead Guilty to Desertion, Lawyer Says
27th August 2024
U.S. Army Private Travis King, who last year ran into North Korea and was taken into custody there, will plead guilty to five charges, including desertion, while taking responsibility for his conduct, his lawyer said in a statement on Monday.
The U.S. Army charged King with crimes ranging from desertion for running into North Korea in July to assault against fellow soldiers and solicitation of child pornography, Reuters reported late last year. He was charged by the Army with 14 offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, after his release from North Korean custody in September.
His release followed weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations that led the Swedish government to retrieve King in North Korea and bring him across the border into China for a handoff to the U.S. ambassador.
“He will plead guilty to five of those (14 offenses), including desertion, three counts of disobeying an officer, and assault on a noncommissioned officer,” his lawyer said. “He will plead not guilty to the remaining offenses, which the Army will withdraw and dismiss.”