U.S. Army Private Travis King, who was held in custody by North Korean officials last year after crossing the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea from South Korea, is expected to plead guilty to five charges by the Army, including desertion.
A statement released on Monday by Franklin Rosenblatt, King’s attorney, said, “U.S. Army Private Travis King will take responsibility for his conduct and enter a guilty plea. He was charged by the Army with fourteen offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
Rosenblatt noted that King will plead guilty to five of the charges, including desertion, assault on a noncommissioned officer, and three counts of disobeying an officer. King’s attorney said the Army private will plead not guilty to the other charges, which he said the Army intends to withdraw and dismiss.
In a statement confirming King’s intention to plead guilty, Michelle McCaskill, an Army Office of Special Trial Counsel spokesperson, said, “Pvt. King has agreed to plead guilty, however further details are not releasable at this time as the guilty plea is subject to the acceptance by the military judge.”
According to Rosenblatt’s post on X, formerly Twitter, King’s guilty plea will be submitted during a general court-martial with U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Rick Matthew presiding as the military judge on September 20 at Fort Bliss in Texas. “There, he will explain what he did, answer a military judge’s questions about why he is pleading guilty, and be sentenced,” Rosenblatt stated.
READ MORE: AWOL US soldier captured by North Korea returned to US military
Rosenblatt added, “Travis is grateful to his friends and family who have supported him, and to all outside of his circle who did not pre-judge his case based on the initial allegations.”
King was released by North Korean officials and returned to the U.S. military last September after being held in custody by the North Korean government since July 18. The Army private reportedly ran across the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea shortly after he had spent two months in a South Korean detention facility.
According to Fox News, prior to crossing into North Korea, King was expected to return to Fort Bliss to potentially face additional military discipline and discharge from the Army over his conduct in South Korea.
While King was in North Korean custody, North Korea’s state media reported that the soldier claimed he did not want to go back to the United States and that he crossed the Demilitarized Zone due to “inhumane maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army,” according to Fox News.
