The US Army has provided an update on the situation of Private Travis King, who was expelled from North Korea and repatriated to the United States after deserting to the country. The Army Secretary, Christine Wormuth, stated that they are currently focusing on Private King's reintegration process and have not yet reached the stage of deciding on disciplinary action [490bd474].
According to Wormuth, Private King is undergoing medical examinations to ensure his physical and emotional well-being, and there is a decompression phase in the reintegration process. The Army Secretary mentioned that there will be debriefing regarding the events that occurred in North Korea, but the decision on disciplinary action will be made by the chain of command, and they are not at that point yet. The spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, Sabrina Singh, added that there is no specific timeline for the reintegration process and referred further questions to the Army [490bd474].
It is worth noting that Private King's lawyer, Eric Mayer, who specializes in military law, explained that Private King will undergo health examinations for about two to four weeks before any questions can be asked. Mayer emphasized that the process will be driven by doctors and will be lengthy due to the complexity of the situation [490bd474].
Private King, who was facing prosecution for assault charges during his service in South Korea, was scheduled to be extradited to the US for further disciplinary action. However, he went missing at Incheon Airport and later defected to North Korea. North Korea announced that they have completed their investigation into Private King and decided to expel him. He arrived in the US on July 28th. Private King's family has not made any public statements other than expressing gratitude to the US Army and related agencies for handling the situation well [490bd474] [82fcad4a].