US Soldier Who Fled To North Korea Charged With Desertion, Child Porn
Travis King returned to the US in September this year.
Travis King, the US soldier who fled to North Korea in July, has been charged by the American Army for desertion, and soliciting and possessing sexual images of a child, the BBC said. The charges also reportedly include assault against fellow soldiers. Travis King had returned to the US in September and taken to the Brooke Army Medical Centre in Texas – the same place that American basketball star Brittney Griner was evaluated after being released by Russia in December 2022.
Private King illegally crossed into North Korea in July while on a guided tour of a border village, the BBC report said. Pyongyang eventually released him without giving further details.
Though the US Army has not said anything on the issue officially, but it appears he is facing eight charges, including disobeying a superior officer, reported CNN.
The 23-year-old was detained on Wednesday at Fort Bliss, Texas, the outlet further said citing a source familiar to the matter, who said he is being held in pre-trial detention.
Private King’s mother Claudine Gates issued a statement in which she said she loves her son “unconditionally” and is “extremely concerned about his mental health.”
“As his mother, I ask that my son be afforded the presumption of innocence,” Ms Gates told CNN.
“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 Humphries, and I await the results,” she added.
Private King was on duty with the US Army when he crossed the North Korean border. He had been in the Army since January 2021 and was based in South Korea as part of a rotation.
His border crossing came with relations between the two Koreas at one of their lowest points ever, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nuclear warheads.
Around half a dozen American soldiers made rare defections to the North after the Korean War and were used for the country’s propaganda.
