US soldier who fled to North Korea is free after sentencing

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Army Private Travis King, who last year ran into North Korea and was taken into custody there, was sentenced on Friday to one year of confinement then freed based on time already served, his lawyer said in a statement.

He pleaded guilty to five charges, and the sentencing was held at Fort Bliss in Texas.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The U.S. Army charged King with crimes including desertion for running into North Korea in July 2023, assault against fellow soldiers and solicitation of child pornography, Reuters reported late last year.

He was charged by the Army with 14 offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, after his release from North Korean custody in September 2023 following behind-the-scenes negotiations. The government moved to dismiss nine offenses after he pleaded guilty to five charges.

KEY QUOTES

"With time already served and credit for good behavior, Travis is now free and will return home," his lawyer said.

CONTEXT

King joined the Army in January 2021. He was detained in South Korea over assault allegations to which he pleaded guilty.

King had already been due to face disciplinary action in the United States after his release from South Korean detention. He was on his way home last year when he slipped away from Seoul's international airport and made his way to a civilian tour of the border area between North and South Korea.

Then King sprinted across the border into North Korea. He was immediately taken into North Korean custody.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)