BREAKING NEWS – Seoul, South Korea – Army private Travis King, who bolted to North Korea earlier this year, has been charged with a host of crimes from the U.S. ranging from desertion to possessing child pornography, according to a report from Reuters. He faces eight total charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which also include making false statements and disobeying superior officers.
King, a Private 2nd Class in the U.S. Army who has served since 2021, entered North Korea on foot on July 18, when he reportedly sprinted away from a tour group into the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.
North Korea’s state media reported that King confessed to crossing into the North because of “inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.” The NK media also stated that he had some serious disagreements with “the U.S. Army’s strict rules prohibiting soldiers from getting romantically involved with children.”