The US Army has charged Private Travis King with crimes ranging from desertion for defecting to North Korea in July to abusing fellow soldiers and soliciting child pornography, according to documents obtained by Reuters.
The Army’s case against King, which has not been previously reported, includes eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, creating a significant legal battle for the 23-year-old soldier following his release from North Korean custody in September.
The Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement from a family spokesperson, King’s mother, Claudine Gates, expressed her unconditional love and asked that her son “be given the presumption of innocence.”
“The man I raised, the man I dropped off at boot camp, the man who spent the holidays with me before he shipped out didn’t drink,” Gates said. “A mother knows her son, and I believe something happened to mine while he was deployed. The Army promised to investigate what happened at Camp Humphries, and I await the results.’
For weeks, the US Army has deferred questions about whether King would face disciplinary action, saying its priority has been to ensure the soldier received proper care after being held for two months by North Korea.
His release by North Korea in September followed weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the Swedish government picking King up in North Korea and bringing him across the border to China for a handoff to the US ambassador.
King was flown to a military hospital in Texas on September 28 for medical evaluations, including for his mental health.
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