US Soldier Who Fled to North Korea Freed After Sentencing, Reports Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

U.S. Army Private Travis King, who crossed into North Korea last year and was subsequently detained, has been sentenced to one year of confinement, with immediate release due to time already served, according to his lawyer.

King pleaded guilty to five charges during the sentencing at Fort Bliss in Texas. The U.S. Army charged him with several offenses, including desertion for entering North Korea in July 2023, assault against fellow soldiers, and solicitation of child pornography.

After his release from North Korean custody in September 2023, following negotiations, King faced 14 charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The government decided to drop nine of those charges after he entered his plea.

In a statement, King’s lawyer noted, "With time already served and credit for good behavior, Travis is now free and will return home."

King enlisted in the Army in January 2021 and was previously detained in South Korea on assault allegations, to which he also pleaded guilty. He had been awaiting disciplinary action in the United States after his release from South Korean detention. Last year, while en route home, he evaded security at an airport in Seoul and joined a tour of the border region between North and South Korea before crossing into North Korea, where he was promptly taken into custody.