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An American soldier who was detained after fleeing to North Korea will plead guilty to five military charges.
Private Travis King was charged with 14 offences under the Uniform Code of Military Justice after his release from North Korea last September following lengthy negotiations.
Mr King will plead guilty to deserting and assaulting an officer as well as three counts of disobeying an officer, his lawyer Franklin D Rosenblatt said on Monday.
Nine charges, including possession of sexual images of a child, will be withdrawn and dismissed under the terms of the deal. “He wants to take responsibility for the things that he did,” Mr Rosenblatt added.
Mr King, 24, was detained in North Korea after he ran across the border in July 2023 while on a guided tour of the demilitarised zone separating the country from South Korea. He became the first American to be detained in North Korea in five years amid its worsening relations with the US.
Washington declined to declare him a prisoner of war.
The 2nd Class Private’s run into North Korea came soon after he was released from a South Korean jail where he had served nearly two months on assault charges.
Travis King, wearing a black shirt and black cap, is seen in this picture taken during a tour of the tightly controlled demilitarised zone (Reuters)
About a week after his release from prison, Mr King was taken to an airport so he could return to the Fort Bliss military base in the US to face disciplinary action. He was escorted as far as customs but instead of getting on the plane, he joined a civilian tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom. He then ran across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists.
An anonymous Pentagon official told NPR last year that the soldier was dressed in civilian clothes when the incident took place.
His release followed weeks of negotiations that resulted in the Swedish government retrieving Mr King from North Korea and bringing him across the border into China for a handoff to the US envoy. He was flown to Texas on 28 September last year and detained.
“Travis is grateful to his friends and family who have supported him, and to all outside his circle who did not pre-judge his case based on the initial allegations,” said Mr King’s lawyer.
His guilty plea and sentencing hearing will be held on 20 September in Texas.
