A US soldier who defected to North Korea last year has pleaded guilty to desertion as part of a plea deal and been sentenced to 12 months in prison, his lawyer said.
Attorney Franklin Rosenblatt said Friday that the soldier was released for good behavior and time served.
Travis King faced 14 charges in connection with his escape across the border from South Korea to North Korea while sightseeing in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean peninsula in July last year, as well as earlier incidents.
As part of a settlement accepted by a military judge on Friday, he pleaded guilty to five charges: desertion, assaulting a non-commissioned officer and three counts of insubordination to a superior officer.
In July 2023, King was stationed in South Korea and was scheduled to return to Texas for a disciplinary hearing after he was incarcerated in a South Korean prison after getting drunk and getting into a bar fight.
Instead, he flew out of a Seoul-area airport, took a DMZ sightseeing tour and passed through the fortified border where he was detained by communist North Korean authorities.
Pyongyang had said King had defected to North Korea to escape “abuse and racism at the hands of the U.S. military.”
But after completing an investigation, North Korea “decided to expel” King in September for trespassing on its territory.
“Under the terms of the plea agreement, the judge sentenced Travis to one year in prison, demotion to private (E-1), forfeiture of all pay and benefits, and a dishonorable discharge,” Rosenblatt said in a statement Friday.
“Having already served his sentence and demonstrated good behavior, Travis is now free to return home,” the statement said.
“Travis King has faced significant challenges throughout his life, including a difficult upbringing, exposure to a criminal environment and mental health issues,” Rosenblatt said. “All of these factors compounded the challenges he faced in the military.”
The Army's Office of Special Counsel confirmed in a statement that King's guilty plea was made as part of the agreement, saying “pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement, all other charges and particulars were dismissed.”
“The outcome of today's court-martial is a fair and just result that reflects the seriousness of the crimes committed by Private King,” prosecutor Maj. Allison Montgomery said in a statement.
