Travis Kingthe US Army soldier who ran across the border from South Korea to North Korea last year will plead guilty to desertion and assault charges as part of a plea deal, according to his lawyer.
At a Sept. 20 court hearing in Fort Bliss, Texas, King is expected to plead guilty to five of the 14 charges he faces. The five charges include one for desertion, three for disobeying a lawful order and one for assaulting a non-commissioned officer.
King’s attorney, Franklin Rosenblatt, disclosed the appeal in a statement provided Monday to ABC News. The possibility of an appellate settlement in King’s case only came to light in mid-July.
U.S. soldier Travis King is seen in this undated photo.
Claudine Gates
“U.S. Army Private Travis King will take responsibility for his conduct and name a culprit,” Rosenblatt’s statement read. “He was charged by the Army with fourteen offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He will plead guilty to five of them, including desertion.”
“He will plead not guilty to the remaining charges, which the Army will retract and dismiss,” he adds.
“Travis’ confession will be entered at a general court-martial. There he will explain what he did, answer a military judge’s questions about why he pleads guilty and be sentenced,” Rosenblatt said. “Travis is grateful to his friends and family who have supported him, and to everyone outside his circle who did not prejudge his case based on the initial allegations.”
According to a spokesman for the Office of Special Trial Counsel, if Pvt. King’s guilty plea is accepted, the judge will sentence King in accordance with the terms of the plea agreement. If the judge does not accept the guilty plea, the judge may order the case to be tried in a contested court-martial.
King will remain in custody, the spokesman said.
In July 2023, King entered North Koreawhich sparked an international incident when he was detained by North Korean authorities for more than two months after he dashed into North Korea at the Joint Security Area at the DMZ. Before joining the tour group that brought him to the DMZ, King had absconded from his Army ID at the airport where he would have boarded a flight to take him back to the United States.