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Travis King, a U.S. Army soldier who last year fled across the South Korean border into North Korea, will admit to desertion and assault charges as part of a plea agreement, his lawyer stated.
During a court hearing scheduled for September 20 at Fort Bliss, Texas, King is expected to plead guilty to five out of the 14 charges against him. The charges he will admit to involve one count of desertion, three counts of disobeying a lawful order, and one count of assaulting a non-commissioned officer.
His lawyer, Franklin Rosenblatt, announced the plea agreement in a statement to ABC News on Monday. This plea agreement speculation began to surface in mid-July.
Rosenblatt’s statement clarified, “US Army Private Travis King will accept responsibility by entering a guilty plea. Of the fourteen military justice charges, he’ll plead guilty to five, including desertion.”
Rosenblatt further explained, “He will plead not guilty to the remaining charges, which will then be withdrawn and dismissed by the Army.”
The guilty plea will be formally made at a general court-martial where King will discuss his actions, respond to questions from a military judge on why he is pleading guilty, and receive his sentence. “Travis appreciates the ongoing support from friends and family and the fairness shown by those who withheld judgment until now,” Rosenblatt added.
A spokesperson for the Office of Special Trial Counsel indicated that if the judge approves King’s guilty plea, King will be sentenced under the terms of the plea agreement. Should the plea not be accepted, the judge might decide that the case should proceed to a contested court-martial.
Presently, King is being held in pretrial confinement. His flight into North Korea in July 2023 triggered a significant diplomatic event, with North Korean authorities detaining him for over two months following his unauthorized entry via the Joint Security Area at the DMZ. This incident occurred after King had slipped away from his Army escort at an airport, avoiding a flight scheduled to return him to the U.S.