Army Private Charged with Desertion and Other Crimes After Fleeing to North Korea
Travis King, a US Army private who fled to North Korea in July, has been charged with desertion and several other crimes by the Army, according to a charging document seen by CNN. King, who was released from North Korean custody and returned to the United States last month, is facing charges including possession of child pornography, assaulting fellow soldiers, and disobeying a superior officer. In total, he has been charged with eight counts.
On Wednesday, King, 23, was detained at Ft. Bliss, Texas, and is currently being held in pre-trial detention, according to a source familiar with the situation. King’s mother, Claudine Gates, expressed her concerns about her son’s mental health and asked that he be afforded the presumption of innocence. Gates also mentioned that something happened to her son while he was deployed, and she awaits the results of the investigation conducted by the Army.
The Army confirmed that King has violated the military’s judicial code but declined to comment further on the details of the case, citing his privacy. King had returned to US soil in September after crossing into North Korea without authorization. Prior to his escape, he had been released from detention in South Korea related to an incident in which he allegedly assaulted a victim at a club in Seoul.
King was supposed to board a flight to Texas to face disciplinary procedures but instead fled from a security checkpoint at the airport in Seoul. The next day, he joined a tour of the Joint Security Area in the demilitarized zone and crossed the demarcation line into North Korea.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.