Travis King, a US soldier stationed in South Korea, has been charged with desertion and a range of other crimes, including assaulting fellow soldiers and soliciting child abuse images, according to multiple US media reports.
The United States Army has filed eight charges against Mr. King, whose case has garnered significant attention. The charges include physical assault against fellow soldiers, possession of a child abuse video, making false statements, and illegal possession of alcohol. If convicted of desertion, Mr. King could face a prison sentence of up to five years.
Details about the specific allegations were not provided in the document cited by US media.
Mr. King’s journey into North Korea began after a drunken bar fight and subsequent detention in a South Korean jail. Instead of returning to Texas for disciplinary hearings at Fort Bliss in July, he left the Seoul-area airport, joined a sightseeing trip to the Demilitarised Zone, and crossed over the heavily fortified border, where he was apprehended by North Korean authorities.
Initially, Pyongyang claimed that Mr. King had defected to North Korea to escape alleged “mistreatment and racial discrimination” within the US Army. However, following an investigation, North Korea decided to expel Mr. King in September for illegally entering its territory.
Upon his return to the United States, Mr. King will undergo a reintegration program, which will involve medical screenings and mental health assessments, according to Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.
The border crossing by Mr. King occurred at a time of strained relations between North and South Korea, with diplomatic efforts stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for increased weapons development, including the development of tactical nuclear warheads.
It is important to note that despite the end of major hostilities in 1953, the two Koreas remain technically at war, as the conflict concluded with an armistice rather than a formal treaty.
