After entering a guilty plea to assault charges in South Korea, King was scheduled to return to the United States. However, he was stopped after crossing the fortified zone.
A sentence of one year in prison for desertion and dishonourable discharge has been handed down to the United States soldier who crossed the demilitarised zone into North Korea.
On July 18, 2023, Travis King, who was a private second class with the United States Air Force, was travelling through Panmunjom, South Korea, with a civilian tour group when he passed the fortified zone.
After conversations that took place behind the scenes, the 24-year-old was eventually brought back to the United States of America in September of that same year after being jailed in North Korea.
In addition to being accused of desertion, striking and punching other officers, unlawfully possessing alcohol, providing a false statement, and holding a video of a kid engaging in sexual behaviour, King was also accused of possessing a video of the child engaging in sexual conduct.
Nine of the accusations were dropped when King entered a guilty plea to five of them. These five counts were one offence of desertion, one act of assault on a non-commissioned officer, and three counts of disobeying a legal command. There were nine charges total.
The military court that presided over the case at Fort Bliss, Texas, handed down his sentencing on Friday, which included a sentence of twelve months in jail for desertion and one month for each of the other four crimes.
On the other hand, he will be released from prison once he has completed his sentence. In addition to serving 63 days in North Korea, King had served 338 days in the United States of America.
As a result of the fact that Travis has already served his sentence and received credit for his good behaviour, his attorney Frank Rosenblatt stated that he is now free and will return home.
He was also discharged from the military in a dishonourable manner, which was something that the prosecution was looking for.
A “bad conduct discharge” was something that the former soldier and his solicitors had been looking for.
According to a publication that was published by the army, Major Allyson Montgomery, who works for the office of the special counsel, was quoted as saying, “The outcome of today’s court martial is a fair and just result that reflects the seriousness of the offences committed by Pvt. King and will promote good order and discipline within the United States Army by discouraging soldiers from committing similar offences in the future.”
King had been serving in the United States military since January 2021, and he was temporarily arrested in South Korea on charges of assault, to which he had previously entered a guilty plea.
It was planned that he would be subject to disciplinary punishment in the United States following his release from custody in South Korea.
Having said that, he managed to elude the military police and join a civilian tour of the North and South Korea border region after they had led him as far as they could.
And it was at that moment that he escaped to North Korea, where he was instantly taken into custody.
A court martial was threatened against James Dresnok, another American soldier who defected to North Korea in 1962. The occurrence took place fifty years after Dresnok’s departure from the United States government.