An Army private who fled to North Korea over a year ago has decided to plead guilty to desertion and four other charges. His lawyer confirmed that the private will take responsibility for his actions, admitting guilt to military offenses including desertion and assaulting an officer. As part of the plea deal, nine other charges, such as possession of sexual images of a child, will be dismissed.
The private is scheduled to appear at a plea hearing on September 20 at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he will have the opportunity to discuss his actions. His attorney stated that the private is eager to accept accountability for his behavior, although no details were provided regarding the potential sentence he may face.
Desertion is a serious offense that can lead to imprisonment for up to three years. The private's decision to flee to North Korea occurred shortly after his release from a South Korean prison, where he had served a two-month sentence for assault charges.
After being escorted to the airport to return to Fort Bliss for disciplinary action, the private instead joined a civilian tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom. Subsequently, he ran across the heavily guarded border into North Korea, becoming the first American detained in the country in nearly five years.
Following approximately two months of detention in North Korea, the private was unexpectedly expelled by Pyongyang. He was then flown back to Texas on September 28 and has since been in custody at Fort Bliss.
In October, the U.S. military filed multiple charges against the private under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including desertion, physical altercations with officers, unlawful possession of alcohol, providing false statements, and possessing inappropriate videos involving a child. These allegations date back to July 10, the same day the private was released from the South Korean prison.
