US soldier who crossed into North Korea is free after guilty plea

A US soldier who entered North Korea last year has pleaded guilty to desertion and received a 12-month confinement sentence, according to his attorney. The soldier, Travis King , was released early due to good behavior and time already served.

King faced 14 charges stemming from his July 2023 crossing from South Korea while on a sightseeing tour of the Demilitarized Zone ( DMZ ). As part of a plea agreement, he admitted guilt to five charges: desertion, assault on a noncommissioned officer, and three counts of disobeying an officer. A military judge accepted the deal on Friday.

The terms of the agreement included a year of confinement, a reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of pay, and a dishonorable discharge. King's attorney, Franklin Rosenblatt, noted that King would return home following his release.

The US Army's Office of Special Trial Counsel confirmed the guilty plea and stated that all other charges were dismissed as part of the agreement. Prosecutor Major Allyson Montgomery described the court's outcome as a fair response to King’s actions.

At the time of his border crossing, King was stationed in South Korea. After a bar fight and a brief jail stay, he was due to return to Texas for disciplinary proceedings. Instead, he left the airport and joined a DMZ tour, crossing into North Korea where he was detained.

North Korean authorities later claimed King had defected to escape alleged mistreatment in the US Army. However, after their investigation, they decided to expel him for illegally entering the country in September.