US soldier who fled to North Korea is free after sentencing

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Private Travis T. King (wearing a black shirt and black cap) is seen in this picture taken during a tour of the tightly controlled Joint Security Area (JSA) on the border between the two Koreas, at the truce village of Panmunjom, South Korea, July 18, 2023. Sarah Leslie/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Army Private Travis King, who last year ran into North Korea and was taken into custody there, was sentenced on Friday to one year of confinement then freed based on time already served, his lawyer said in a statement.

He pleaded guilty to five charges, and the sentencing was held at Fort Bliss in Texas.