US soldier charged with desertion to North Korea to face first court hearing

Travis King due in military court on July 16 on charges including soliciting child porn, one year after crossing border

Travis King, the U.S. soldier who ran across the inter-Korean border last July in an apparent bid to defect to North Korea, will face his first hearing next week on charges of desertion and soliciting child pornography.

Franklin Rosenblatt, the lead counsel for Pvt. King, announced on social media on Tuesday that his client’s preliminary hearing will take place in a military court at Fort Bliss, Texas on July 16 to determine probable cause and jurisdiction for further action, including a possible court-martial.

Rosenblatt also shared a U.S. Army memorandum outlining the charges to be reviewed, namely one count of attempted escape from custody, two counts of solicitation, one count of desertion and two counts of disobeying commissioned officers’ orders.

https://www.nknews.org/2024/07/us-soldier-charged-with-desertion-to-north-korea-to-face-first-court-hearing/