US Soldier Who Illegally Crossed North Korea Border Found Possessing Child Pornography

U.S. Military Member Charged with 8 Counts Including Desertion and Assault on Comrades
Deported from North Korea and Transferred to the United States

Travis King (23), a Private in the U.S. Forces Korea who crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) without permission during a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) and stayed in North Korea for 71 days before being deported last month, has been charged by the U.S. military with desertion and possession of child sexual exploitation material.

U.S. Forces Korea soldier Travis King [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to major foreign media on the 20th (local time), the U.S. military has applied eight charges against Private King under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including desertion and assault on fellow soldiers. The Associated Press also reported that one of the charges includes possession of child pornography.

Private King crossed into North Korea without authorization on July 18 during a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA). Subsequently, Swedish authorities, acting as the protecting power for U.S. interests, mediated the process of deporting King, and North Korea announced on the 27th of last month, 71 days after his defection, that "the relevant authorities have decided to deport U.S. soldier Travis King, who illegally intruded into the territory of the Republic, in accordance with the laws of the Republic." King was deported to China on the day of the announcement and was transferred to the United States via Osan Air Base in South Korea.

At the time of his defection, Private King was scheduled to be recalled to the United States to face disciplinary action by the U.S. military. He had been fined 5 million won in February this year for kicking and damaging a police patrol car in Mapo-gu, Seoul, in October last year, but he did not pay the fine and served 48 days of labor in South Korea from May until his release in July. He was then supposed to be recalled to Texas for further disciplinary action, but he disappeared without boarding his flight at Incheon Airport and applied for a JSA tour the next day before defecting to North Korea.

Separately, he was also charged last September with assaulting a Korean individual during an altercation at a club in Hongdae while drinking, but the victim did not wish to press charges.

After arriving in the United States last month, Private King was transferred to a local military medical center where he underwent a series of examinations to assess his physical and mental health. Foreign media reported that the U.S. military had delayed prosecution to ensure King could receive appropriate treatment after taking custody of him.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.