The U.S. Army charged Travis King, the private who bolted into North Korea unauthorized and was released in September, with crimes including soliciting child pornography and desertion, Reuters reported.
King, 23, now faces eight separate charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice after the Department of Defense (DOD) declined to comment on whether the military would pursue further legal action following King’s return home, Reuters reported, citing the charging documents. While in North Korean custody King had been considered absent without leave, but now he faces more charges related to alcohol and attempted escapes going back to October of 2022.
King’s mother, Claudine Gates, told Reuters she expected her son to “be afforded the presumption of innocence.”
“The man I raised, the man I dropped off at boot camp, the man who spent the holidays with me before deploying did not drink,” Gates said. “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 Humphreys, and I await the results.”
King was also charged with desertion.
The charge sheet says King intended to permanently depart from the Army “and did remain so absent in desertion until on or about 27 September 2023,” according to Reuters.
King was slated to fly from South Korea to Fort Bliss, Texas, to receive disciplinary action in July when he escaped the airport and joined a tour group visiting the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. From there, he broke away into North Korea, creating a diplomatic flurry and requiring the Swedish government and China to serve as go-betweens in the process of bringing King home, Reuters reported.
The U.S. military brought King to a hospital in Texas for medical and mental health evaluations on Sept. 28, Reuters reported.
King has not stated publicly why he decided to run into North Korea. Prior to his absence, King spent more than 40 days in a South Korean jail after a guilty plea for assault and damaging a police car.
BREAK/ Statement o/b/o PV2 Travis King’s mother, Claudine Gates, which is attributable to me.
“Ms. Gates will be forever grateful to the United States Army and all its interagency partners for a job well done. For the foreseeable future, the family asks for privacy and Ms.… pic.twitter.com/xGUl4vPnIW
— Jonathan Franks (@jonfranks) September 27, 2023
In July, King allegedly solicited a Snapchat user to “knowingly and willingly produce child pornography” and possessed child pornography, the charge sheet shows, according to Reuters.
He tried to escape military custody in October 2022, was absent from base past curfew, and drank in violation of Army regulations, the charge sheet said.
The Army did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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