As part of the plea deal, nine other charges against Pvt. Travis King were dismissed.
A Texas court-martial on Sept. 20 sentenced the U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea last year to one year in confinement and a dishonorable discharge, but he was later released based on time served.
Pvt. Travis King pleaded guilty to one count of desertion, three counts of disobeying an order, and one count of assault on a noncommissioned officer, according to the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
As part of the plea deal, nine other charges against King were dismissed. The court reduced his rank to an E1, the lowest rank in the Army, and ordered the forfeiture of all of his pay and allowances, according to his lawyer.
“With time already served and credit for good behavior, Travis is now free and will return home,” Franklin D. Rosenblatt, an attorney for the soldier, said in a statement.
The Army found that King had “willfully disobeyed” a superior officer’s order to stay in the camp areas, not to consume or possess alcohol, and sign in and out when leaving or returning to the barracks.
King was also accused of assaulting a superior noncommissioned officer by “grabbing him by the arm” in October 2022, the Army said in a statement.
During the Sept. 20 hearing at a court-martial in Fort Bliss, Texas, King provided an explanation for his actions and answered the judge’s questions about his decision to plead guilty.
“Travis King has faced significant challenges throughout his life, including a difficult upbringing, exposure to criminal environments, and struggles with mental health,” Rosenblatt said. “All these factors have compounded the hardships he faced in the military.”
Prosecutor Maj. Allyson Montgomery described the hearing’s outcome as “fair and just,” saying that it “reflects the seriousness of the offenses committed by Pvt. King and will promote good order and discipline within the U.S. Army.”
King, a cavalry scout, was stationed in South Korea and was due to return to Texas in July 2023 for disciplinary hearings after serving time at a correctional facility in South Korea.
On July 18, 2023, King crossed the heavily fortified Korean border into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the border. He was immediately taken into North Korean custody.
The North Korean regime at the time said King confessed that he wanted to seek refuge from “maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.” North Korea later decided to deport him after finding that he had “illegally” entered the country’s territory.
King was released and returned to Texas in September 2023 after two months in North Korea and has since been held in custody.