Current:Home > StocksTravis King charged with desertion for crossing into North Korea -Wealthify
Travis King charged with desertion for crossing into North Korea
View
Date:2025-04-27 11:57:22
Travis King, the U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea from South Korea earlier this year, has been charged by the Army with several crimes, including desertion, assaulting other soldiers and officers, and soliciting and possessing child pornography, according to documents obtained by CBS News.
King faces eight total charges, which also include making false statements and disobeying superior officers. A conviction on a peacetime desertion charge can come with a three-year prison sentence, according to The Associated Press.
"I love my son unconditionally and am extremely concerned about his mental health. As his mother, I ask that my son be afforded the presumption of innocence," King's mother, Claudine Gates, said in a statement to CBS News. "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. A mother knows her son, and I believe something happened to mine while he was deployed."
King, a Private 2nd Class in the U.S. Army who has served since 2021, entered North Korea on foot in July while he was on a guided tour of the South Korean border village of Panmunjom, which he joined after absconding from an airport in Seoul, where he was supposed to have boarded a flight back to the U.S. to face possible disciplinary action from the U.S. Army for actions taken before his alleged desertion.
A witness who was in King's tour group told CBS News at the time that the soldier abruptly left the group, laughed and ran across the Military Demarcation Line in the Demilitarized Zone.
He had been in South Korea as part of the Pentagon's regular Korean Force Rotation, officials told CBS News. U.S. officials told CBS News that King had served time at a detention facility in South Korea and was handed over to officials about a week before he crossed into North Korea. A South Korean official told Agence France-Presse that King had spent about two months in a South Korean jail on assault charges after he was accused of kicking the door of a police patrol car and shouting obscenities at Korean officers.
He was later deported from North Korea and returned to U.S. custody last month.
North Korea's KCNA released a statement at the time, saying: "The relevant agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [North Korea] decided to expel Travis King, an American soldier who illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK, in accordance with the laws of the Republic."
— Sarah Barth, Tucker Reals, Haley Ott and Sarah Lynch Baldwin contributed reporting.
veryGood! (5138)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Map shows falling childhood vaccination rates in Florida as state faces measles outbreak
- In Georgia, a bill to cut all ties with the American Library Association is advancing
- Jax Taylor Breaks Silence on Separation From Brittany Cartwright
- Jamaica's Kishane Thompson more motivated after thrilling 100m finish against Noah Lyles
- Police in suburban Chicago release body-worn camera footage of fatal shooting of man in his bedroom
- Viral article used AI to create photo of Disney World's Cinderella Castle on fire
- NCAA freezing investigations into third-party NIL activities after judge granted injunction
- How effective is the Hyundai, Kia anti-theft software? New study offers insights.
- Hailey Bieber Shuts Down Justin Bieber Marriage Speculation With Birthday Message
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Trove of ancient skulls and bones found stacked on top of each other during construction project in Mexico
- IHOP debuts new Girl Scout Thin Mint pancakes as part of Pancake of the Month program
- Paul Giamatti's own high school years came in handy in 'The Holdovers'
- Jury finds man guilty of sending 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock
- Train derailment leaves cars on riverbank or in water; no injuries, hazardous materials reported
- ACL injury doesn't have to end your child's sports dream. Here's 5 tips for full recovery
- Kansas City Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman denies leaking New York Jets' game plans
Recommendation
NCAA hits former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh with suspension, show-cause for recruiting violations
Inter Miami vs. Orlando City: Messi relied on too much, coach fears 'significant fatigue'
Joey Votto says he's had 10 times more analyst job offers than playing offers
U.S. health officials drop 5-day isolation time for COVID-19
Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
Celebrated stylemaker and self-named 'geriatric starlet' Iris Apfel dies at age 102
This week on Sunday Morning (March 3)
What is Super Tuesday? Why it matters and what to watch