Private Travis T. King, the American soldier who recently returned to the US after crossing into North Korea in July, has been charged in military court with several offenses, including desertion, assaulting fellow soldiers, and child pornography. The charges were filed by officials at Fort Bliss and Private King was made aware of them on Wednesday. His mother, Claudine Gates, released a statement expressing concern about his mental health and emphasizing that her son should be presumed innocent. She believes that something happened to him while he was deployed.
The charging document obtained by The New York Times outlines the charges against Private King, including desertion for crossing into North Korea and assaulting an officer and a staff sergeant. Additionally, he is facing child pornography charges related to his activity on Snapchat, where he allegedly solicited a minor to post partially nude photos. These charges were previously reported by Reuters.
Private King had been assigned to South Korea and was a member of the First Brigade Combat Team, First Armored Division. After being released from a South Korean detention center, he was supposed to board a plane back to the US but instead fled to North Korea through the Demilitarized Zone. Not much is known about his time in North Korea, but they expelled him in late September, citing his illegal intrusion into their territory.
