Pvt. Travis King on Friday pleaded guilty to desertion and told a military judge that he ran into North Korea last year because he was “dissatisfied with work” and wanted to get away from the Army. (Family Photo via AP)
FORT BLISS, Texas – Pvt. Travis King on Friday pleaded guilty to desertion and told a military judge that he ran into North Korea last year because he was “dissatisfied with work” and wanted to get away from the Army.
“Running into North Korea sounds like a pretty extreme form of desertion. I want to make sure, was something forcing you?” Military judge Lt. Col. Rick Mathew asked King during a hearing in which the soldier also pleaded guilty to two additional charges.
King, 24 and wearing his Army dress uniform, said no. It was his decision on July 18, 2023, to join a tour of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea and then dash into North Korea.
The exchange was part of King’s arraignment and plea agreement with the military in which he has pleaded guilty to desertion, disobeying an officer and insubordinate conduct, but not additional charges related child sexual abuse material and making false statements.
After hearing King’s pleas, Mathew began to question the soldier on his actions to decide whether he will accept the guilty plea. The questioning was expected to continue Friday afternoon following a break for lunch.
Though King said he has been diagnosed with mental health conditions, he is competent to stand trial, understands the proceedings and was competent at the time he deserted.
“I wanted to desert from the U.S. Army and never come back,” he said.
On the day before King deserted, he was scheduled to fly out of South Korea, where he was part of a rotational force from Fort Bliss, Texas. The rest of his unit – the 6th Squadron of the 1st Cavalry Regiment -- had already returned from the rotation. King had stayed behind because of a pending legal issue.
Once his soldier-escort left him at the airport security gate, King told the judge that he went to a ticket counter and said he didn’t have a passport and canceled his flight back to Texas. He then called a taxi, got a hotel room and booked himself on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone.
“I did so of my own free will,” King said, responding to more than an hour of questioning from the judge. King answered clearly and occasionally sought input from his attorneys. But later, he began to cough and struggle to speak, prompting a break requested by his attorneys.
King remained in North Korea until Sept. 27, 2023, when he said he was handed over to a Swedish ambassador and taken across a bridge into China. There, he met with American officials and returned to Army custody.
The Army flew King to Joint Base San Antonio in Texas where he was debriefed and evaluated for three weeks before returning to Fort Bliss and then charged and placed into pretrial confinement.
Thayer.rose@stripes.com
X: @Rose_Lori
