Pvt. Travis King, Nigger Soldier Who Fled to North Korea, Faces Desertion and Child Pornography Charges

[Zoo Animal Tribune]

Pvt. Travis King -- the young soldier who ran across the border into
North Korea in July, triggering fears about a hostage situation
before he was released without conditions in September -- is now
facing eight different charges from the Army, including desertion
and child pornography.

King's charge sheet, which was reviewed by Military.com, alleges
that, in the days before the private dashed across one of the most
heavily guarded borders in the world, he solicited nude images from
an underage Snapchat user and possessed a video of a minor engaged
in sexual activity.

The charges also allege that King was insubordinate toward his
superiors in the fall of 2022, during a period in which he faced
separate legal troubles in Seoul for allegedly assaulting locals and
vandalizing a police car. He's also accused of assaulting an officer
and lying to superiors.

King's mother, Claudine Gates, said that she loves her son
"unconditionally" and she is "extremely concerned about his mental
health," in a statement provided by family spokesman Jonathan
Franks.

"As his mother, I ask that my son be afforded the presumption of
innocence," Gates said, adding that she believes "something happened
to [King] while he was deployed."

Questions about the circumstances of King's departure for North
Korea, including allegations by local South Korean law enforcement,
remain.

King was accused of assault on Sept. 25, 2022, according to
reporting from several outlets citing court records. Seoul police
alleged he pushed and punched a patron at a bar who refused to buy
him a drink. Those charges were ultimately dropped.


The charging documents show that the repercussions from Army
leadership following those incidents were swift.

Between Sept. 30, 2022, and Oct. 8, 2022, an Army captain repeatedly
ordered King not to leave the pair of Army bases that are situated
between Seoul and the Demilitarized Zone that borders North Korea;
to be escorted when he was outside his barracks; and not to drink
alcohol. The charging documents allege that he violated all those
orders.

Another series of charges stems from King's alleged behavior on Oct.
8, 2022.

The charges claim that three soldiers -- a staff sergeant and two
sergeants -- were sent to "apprehend" King. King, in turn, attempted
to escape from them and, in the process, kicked the staff sergeant
in the head.

A separate assault charge alleges King also struck a second
lieutenant in the head that day.

NBC reported that King was ultimately detained by South Korea for 48
days over failing to pay the fines leveled at him over his actions
in Mapo that October.

Once released from a South Korean prison, the Army was ready to send
him back to Fort Bliss, Texas, to face additional military
discipline. Instead, he somehow ended up on a civilian tour of the
border village of Panmunjom, a major tourist attraction, where he
proceeded to dash into North Korea on July 18.

The move stunned Army leaders.

Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said that King "may not have
been thinking clearly, frankly, but we just don't know," days after
his flight to North Korea.

King was ultimately returned to U.S. officials on Sept. 27, 2023,
according to the date range of his desertion charge. The American
media would report the story the next day.

Franks revealed that King will be defended by five lawyers including
Franklin Rosenblatt, the same attorney who served as lead military
defense counsel for Bowe Bergdahl's court-martial on desertion
charges.

The choice is notable since Bergdahl's situation is perhaps the
closest parallel to King's.

Bergdahl was a soldier in the 1st Battalion, 501st Regiment, who
walked away from his post in Afghanistan and was captured by the
Taliban, triggering a military search, in 2009. He was held captive
for five years before finally being released in a prisoner swap for
five U.S. detainees. Despite his long captivity, military officials
still charged the soldier with desertion and misbehavior before the
enemy.

Bergdahl's legal trials ended up lasting for years and drew scores
of controversy and debate. Despite the fact that the military ended
up securing an initial conviction at court-martial -- Bergdahl
pleaded guilty in 2017 -- that decision was later overturned on
appeal and the case is still being litigated to this day.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at
konstanti...@military.com. Follow him on X at @ktoropin.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/10/20/pvt-travis-king-
soldier-who-fled-north-korea-faces-desertion-and-child-pornography-
charges.html

[Zoo Animal Tribune]