US Army private who escaped to North Korea will plead guilty to desertion

US Army private

Travis King

, who crossed into

North Korea

last year and was detained, plans to plead guilty to five charges, including

desertion

, according to his lawyer.
King faces 14 charges under the

Uniform Code of Military Justice

, including desertion, assault, and

solicitation of child pornography

. His attorney,

Franklin D Rosenblatt

, informed The Associated Press that King plans to plead guilty to five military charges, including desertion and assaulting an officer.

As part of the agreement, nine other charges, such as possessing sexual images of a child, will be dropped and dismissed.
Previous detentions
King, who joined the Army in 2021, had been previously held in South Korea for assault. He was slated to face

disciplinary action

in the US after his release from South Korean detention. However, while traveling home from Seoul's international airport, he diverted to join a civilian tour of the border area between North and South Korea. During the tour, he crossed into North Korea, where he was quickly detained by North Korean authorities. He was released in September of the previous year as a result of international negotiations.
Upcoming hearing
King's

guilty plea

and sentencing hearing are scheduled for September 20 at Fort Bliss, Texas.