Soldier who fled to North Korea ‘charged in US’

WASHINGTON: The US Army has charged Private Travis King with crimes ranging from desertion for running into North Korea in July to assault against fellow soldiers and solicitation of child pornography, according to documents obtained by Reuters.

The Army’s case against King, which has not been previously reported, includes eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, seting up a substantial legal batle for the 23-year-old soldier ater his release from North Korean custody in September.

The Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement provided by a family spokesperson, King’s mother, Claudine Gates, expressed her unconditional love and asked that her son “be afforded the presumption of innocence.”

“The man I raised, the man I dropped off at boot camp, the man who spent the holidays with me before deploying did not drink,” Gates said.

“A mother knows her son, and I believe something happened to mine while he was deployed.

“The Army promised to investigate what happened at Camp Humphreys, and I await the results.”

For weeks, the US Army has deferred questions about whether King would face disciplinary action, saying its priority has been on ensuring the soldier received the proper care ater being held for two months by North Korea.

His release by North Korea in September followed weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations that led the Swedish government to retrieve King in North Korea and bring him across the border into China for a handoff to the US ambassador.

King was flown to a military hospital in Texas on Sept.28 for medical evaluations, including for his mental health.

Details are still scarce about King’s treatment in North Korean custody and the soldier has not publicly explained why he fled to one of the world’s most reclusive nations on July 19.

But the Army’s charge sheet accuses him of broad misconduct before that incident, including an atempted escape from US military custody on October 2022.