The U.S. Army soldier who rushed across the border from South Korea into North Korea last year plans to plead guilty to dissertation as well as four other charges.
Franklin Rosenblatt, the attorney for Travis King, posted a statement on the social media platform X on Monday that his client “will take responsibility for his conduct and enter a guilty plea.”
Last July, King was taking a tour of the Joint Security Area in South Korea when he surprisingly crossed over the Military Demarcation Line and entered North Korea. This happened not long before he was set to go back to America.
The Associated Press reported at the time that King was set to face potential disciplinary action after he served nearly two months in a prison in South Korea for assault.
Not long after King made his way to North Korea, state media outlets in Pyongyang said that he “illegally intruded” into their territory, and that he’d be expelled from their country.
In September of last year, King was flown back to America and was at first taken to the Brooke Army Medical Center in Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. After being released from there, he’s spent his time confined at Fort Bliss, which is close to the airport in El Paso, Texas.
Rosenblatt said earlier this week that King will plead guilty to desertion as well as to four other charges — disobeying an officer (three counts) and assault on a non-commissioned officer (one count).
He plans to plead not guilty to nine other charges that were levied against him. Rosenblatt added that it’s expected that the Army will dismiss those charges.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, Michelle McCaskill, said:
“Private King has agreed to plead guilty, however further details are not releasable at this time as the guilty plea is subject to the acceptance by the military judge.”
McCaskill added that if the judge doesn’t accept King’s guilty plea, he can essentially rule that the case be litigated in what would be a contested court-martial.
King had also been accused of drinking alcohol against orders as well as some other charges related to child endangerment.
It’s expected that King will enter his guilty plea on September 20 at a general court-martial at a military base located in Fort Bliss, Texas. Rosenblatt said his client will also be sentenced at that time.
Between now and then, King will remain in his current pretrial confinement arrangements, according to McCaskill.
Rosenblatt added:
“Travis is grateful to his friends and family who have supported him, and to all outside of his circle who did not pre-judge his case based on the initial allegations.”
Axios reported that it’s still uncertain why King ever defected and crossed into North Korean territory. It’s also not certain how he was treated while he was in North Korea.
