A US army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home last month has been detained by the American military and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child, sources said.
The eight counts against Pte Travis King are detailed in a charging document seen by The Associated Press. The charges have not yet been publicly announced.
King’s mother, Claudine Gates, said in a statement that she loved her son “unconditionally” and was “extremely concerned about his mental health”.
“As his mother, I ask that my son be afforded the presumption of innocence,” she said.
Desertion alone can result in imprisonment for as much as three years.
King is also accused of kicking and punching other officers last year, unlawfully possessing alcohol, making a false statement and possessing a video of a child engaged in sexual activity.
That allegation dates to July 10, the same day he was released from a South Korean prison where he had served nearly two months on assault charges.
One week later, King, 23, ran across the heavily fortified border from South Korea and became the first American to be detained in North Korea in nearly five years. He was set to be sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he could have faced potential additional disciplinary actions and discharge.
Officials said King was taken to the airport and escorted as far as customs. But instead of getting on the plane, he left and later joined a civilian tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom. He ran across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists, in the afternoon.
After about two months, Pyongyang abruptly announced that it would expel him. He was flown on September 28 to a US air force base in Texas.
His release from North Korea was aided by Swedish officials who took King to the Chinese border, where he was met by US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, the Swedish ambassador to China and at least one US defence department official. He was then flown to an American military base in South Korea before heading to the US.
Once back in the US, King was taken to Brooke Army Medical Centre at Fort Sam Houston outside San Antonio. He went through what the military describes as a “reintegration” process that included medical exams, psychological assessments and debriefings. And he was also allowed to meet with family.
Because he had willingly run into enemy hands, he was kept in military custody throughout that process.
At the time, officials said they did not know exactly why North Korea decided to let King go, but suspected Pyongyang determined that as a low-ranking serviceman he had no real value in terms of either leverage or information. King joined the Army in January 2021, and served as a cavalry scout.
The charging document does not provide significant detail on any of the allegations, though it does accuse King of knowingly possessing a video of a child engaging in sexual conduct last July 10 and says that he solicited a user of Snapchat, a social media platform, to produce images of under-age sexual activity.
