US Soldier Travis King Sentenced for Desertion After Fleeing to North Korea
The US soldier who ran across the demilitarised zone into North Korea has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for desertion and dishonourably discharged.
Travis King, a private second class, was part of a civilian tour group in Panmunjom, South Korea, when he crossed the fortified zone on 18 July 2023.
After being detained in North Korea, he was eventually returned to the US in September of the same year following diplomatic negotiations.
Facing multiple military charges, King pleaded guilty to five offenses including desertion, assault, disobeying orders, and possession of inappropriate materials. Nine other charges were dropped.
Recently sentenced by a military judge at Fort Bliss, Texas, King received a 12-month imprisonment for desertion and a month for each of the remaining charges, but was released for time already served.
Having spent time both in the US and North Korea, King’s lawyer Frank Rosenblatt stated that he is now a free man.
Along with the prison sentence, King was also dishonourably discharged from the military, a result sought by the prosecution.
The defense team had requested a “bad conduct discharge” instead.
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Travis King, in the black T-shirt and black cap, is pictured on the civilian tour. Pic: Reuters
Major Allyson Montgomery, from the army’s special counsel office, stated: “The court’s decision today reflects the seriousness of Pvt. King’s actions and aims to maintain discipline within the US Army by deterring similar offenses in the future.”
King, who had been in the military since January 2021, was initially detained in South Korea over assault charges to which he admitted guilt.
Following his release from South Korean detention, he was due for disciplinary action in the US but escaped while being escorted by military police at Seoul’s airport and joined a civilian tour near the North and South Korean border.
It was during this tour that he fled to North Korea, where he was promptly apprehended.
This incident occurred fifty years after another US soldier, James Dresnok, defected to North Korea in 1962 to avoid a court-martial.
