Reports: Army Private Who Fled to NKorea Faces Charges

Facts

• Army Pvt. Travis King, who fled to North Korea before being returned to the US last month, is reportedly being charged with desertion and possession of sexual images of a child.¹
• In all, King is facing eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.²
• King fled from South Korea to North Korea on July 18 and was expelled by Pyongyang in September.³
• The Army said that before King left for North Korea he had served two months in a South Korean detention facility because of a physical altercation with members of the local population.⁴
• Claudine Gates, King’s mother, issued a statement asking that her son, who is being detained at Ft. Bliss, Texas, be 'afforded the assumption of innocence.' She also expressed concerns over his mental health.⁵

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Reuters, ³Washington Post, ⁴FOX News and ⁵CNN.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Breitbart. King should be prosecuted as much as the evidence against him will allow. Deserting the Army was a bad enough violation, but clearly, his actions before he left were leading to discipline that he was trying to avoid. Even worse, he allowed North Korea — one of the most egregious violators of human rights in the world — to use him as a propaganda tool against the US. He must be punished with due process.
• Narrative B, as provided by NewsOne. Concerns about the mental health of military personnel have to be taken more seriously. It appears something about being in the Army changed King psychologically. If he expressed dissatisfaction with inequities in the military as he had claimed, he must be taken more seriously as well. King might need help from a mental professional more than he needs punishment.