US Army Solider Who Fled Into North Korea To Plead Guilty To Desertion

The U.S. Army private who ran into North Korea in 2023 is set to plead guilty to several charges, his lawyer said on Monday.

Travis King will plead guilty in court in September to desertion, assault and disobeying an officer, according to his lawyer. King was in South Korea and due to return to the U.S. when he abruptly fled over the military demarcation line in North Korea in July of 2023. He was arrested by the U.S. military last year after North Korea exiled him for crossing into the country illegally.

King was also accused by a military court of other crimes, including solicitation and possession of child pornography, according to Axios.

“He will plead not guilty to the remaining offenses, which the Army will withdraw and dismiss,” King’s lawyer said on Monday. “Travis’s guilty plea will be entered at a general court-martial. There, he will explain what he did, answer a military judge’s questions about why he is pleading guilty, and be sentenced.”

My statement today on U.S. Army Private Travis King’s court-martial pic.twitter.com/jVeGiGdxuq