Travis King faces desertion charges for fleeing to North Korea

Travis King, the Army private who fled to North Korea earlier this year, faces eight charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Reuters reported.

The charges pointed to a pattern of dubious conduct and include counts of desertion, assault against soldiers, insubordination, drinking alcohol in violation of Army regulations, leaving the base after curfew, and solicitation of child pornography,

King spent two months in South Korean custody for assault and was supposed to return to the U.S. to face discipline, though he escaped the airport, joined a civilian tour, and ran across the border.

North Korean officials confirmed in early August that King was in the hermit kingdom's custody. Pyongyang expelled King in late September and he was returned to the U.S. King returned to American custody after the Swedish government retrieved him from North Korea and brought him over the border.

King's mother, Claudine Gates, expressed the view that her son had changed dramatically during the course of his time in the Army, saying in a statement that "[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 Humphreys, and I await the results."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.