US soldier who defected to North Korea will admit to desertion and other crimes, lawyer reveals.
In South Korea, U.S. Army private Travis King has been accused of assault on at least two occasions.
Travis King, a U.S. Army private, is expected to plead guilty to multiple criminal charges, including desertion, according to his lawyer's statement to Planet Chronicle Digital.
Frank Rosenblatt, King's attorney, stated that the U.S. Army has accused King of 14 offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Rosenblatt stated that King will plead guilty to five charges and not guilty to the remaining ones, which the Army plans to dismiss.
At a general court-martial, King will enter a guilty plea and explain his actions to U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Rick Mathew, the military judge.
The guilty plea and sentencing will take place on Friday, September 20, 2024, at 9 a.m. at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Rosenblatt stated that Travis is thankful to his loved ones who backed him and to those who did not judge him unfairly based on the initial accusations.
In September, the North Korean government released King, who had been held since July 18 after escaping from a tour group into the Demilitarized Zone.
During King's capture, there was no contact with him, and North Korean officials were evasive in their responses to U.S. inquiries.
King, who had been in a South Korean detention facility for two months after a physical confrontation with locals, expressed his unwillingness to return to America during his stay.
King was eventually released on July 10 and was sent home to Fort Bliss, where he could have faced additional military discipline and discharge from service. King has faced at least two other assault-related allegations in South Korea.
According to North Korea's state media, King admitted to entering the country due to "inhumane treatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army."
The reports from North Korea that King's mother disputed claimed that her son had no intention of defecting to the totalitarian nation.
Planet Chronicle Digital has reached out to the U.S. Army for comment.
This report was contributed to by Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Liz Friden of Planet Chronicle Digital.
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