US soldier who fled to North Korea pleads guilty to desertion and other charges

Travis King, the U.S. Army soldier who fled from South Korea to North Korea last year, is expected to plead guilty to several charges, including desertion, his lawyer said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

The U.S. Army has accused King of 14 violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, said King's attorney Frank Rosenblatt.

King will plead guilty to five of those charges and not guilty to the remaining offenses that the Army wants to drop, Rosenblatt said.

King's guilty plea will be heard before a court martial, where he will explain his actions to military judge and U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Rick Mathew.

The guilty plea and sentencing will take place on Friday, September 20, 2024, at 9 a.m. in Fort Bliss, Texas.

“Travis is grateful to his friends and family who supported him and to everyone outside his circle who did not prejudge his case based on the initial allegations,” Rosenblatt said.

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The North Korean government released King last September. He had been in custody since July 18. According to reports, King had fled from a tour group into the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

There was no contact with King during his capture, and North Korean officials were deliberately reserved in their response to US inquiries.

The incident came after King spent two months in a South Korean prison following a physical altercation with locals, a senior defense official told Fox News. During his stay at the facility, he expressed that he did not want to return to America.

King was finally released on July 10 and sent home to Fort Bliss on Monday, where he would face further military discipline and discharge from the service. King faced at least two more assault charges in South Korea.

North Korea's state media reported that King admitted to entering the country because of “inhumane mistreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. military.”

King's mother denied the reports from North Korea and said her son had no motive to defect to the totalitarian state.

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Fox News Digital has contacted the US military for comment.

Timothy HJ Nerozzi and Liz Friden of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.