The U.S. Army soldier who fled into North Korea last year was dishonorably discharged from the military and sentenced to a year in confinement, following a guilty plea on Friday.
Pvt. Travis King, 24, pleaded guilty to five of the 14 counts against him on Sept. 20 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The military judge dismissed the other nine counts. He was released a free man as well. U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Rick Mathew, the military judge overseeing the court martial, agreed that King’s time spent in pre-trial confinement in Otero County jail in New Mexico counted towards his sentence.
King spent two months in a South Korean jail last year following a bar fight where he allegedly assaulted a South Korean national. He was escorted to the airport to be sent back to the United States when he fled, joining a tour group visiting the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. King fled across the DMZ into North Korea July 18, 2023. By September that year he was returned to U.S. custody, where he faced charges of desertion and other crimes under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
“The outcome of today’s court-martial is a fair and just result that reflects the seriousness of the offenses committed by Pvt. King and will promote good order and discipline within the U.S. Army by deterring soldiers from committing similar offenses in the future,” Maj. Allyson Montgomery, a prosecutor with the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, said in a statement following the guilty plea.
Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.
Alongside the charge of desertion, King pleaded guilty to three counts of insubordination stemming from an October 2023 incident after his return to American custody. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting a noncommissioned officer the day after the insubordination incident.
King was given a dishonorable discharge. His rank was also kicked down to private (E-1) and forfeited pay Before pleading guilty, he faced two decades in prison. King joined the Army in 2021 and was in South Korea as part of a unit rotation.
King’s lawyers had argued that the soldier faced “significant challenges” in his life, including struggles with mental health. According to reporters at the hearing, King himself said that he had planned to leave the Army, and fled to North Korea after feeling “dissatisfied” with his work in the military.
“He has accepted responsibility during today’s court martial — but make no mistake, the negative public perception and the ongoing consequences of his actions, coupled with the confinement he’s endured, represents an ongoing punishment Travis King will endure for the rest of his life,” Franklin Rosenblatt, Travis King’s main defense attorney, said in a statement.
The latest on Task & Purpose
- Four Marines trained an Air Force base to take the Marine Corps fitness test. The Air Force gave them medals for it.
- Sailor proudly rocks ‘E-4 Mafia’ patch as he stands watch on USS Abraham Lincoln
- The A-10 era is over for this legendary Air Force attack squadron
- A comprehensive guide to the shoulder tabs Army soldiers wear on their uniforms
- 101st Airborne Division troops headed to Middle East, 3rd Infantry will go to Europe