A U.S. Army soldier who had been detained in North Korea after he fled there in 2023 pleaded guilty to desertion, disobeying an order and assault at a hearing on Friday, according to the Army.

       Pvt. Travis King, 24, pleaded guilty before a military judge in Fort Bliss, Texas, and was sentenced to 12 months of confinement. The time he has already spent in custody will count toward his sentence, the Army said in a statement.

       “With time already served and credit for good behavior, Travis is now free and will return home,” Franklin D. Rosenblatt, Private King’s attorney, said in a statement posted to social media on Friday.

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