THE US Military has charged a soldier who escaped into North Korea with offenses ranging from desertion and assault to solicitation of child pornography.

Travis King, 23, ran across the Demilitarized Zone on July 18 and was promptly captured by North Korean authorities.

He remained in custody there until last month, when American and Swedish officials managed to broker his release.

King is now facing eight different charges, according to Reuters, which broke the news.

Military officials have deferred questions about King’s legal fate for weeks.

Read Related Also: Storm Babet hits Britain: Met Office issues amber warning for torrential rain and 80mph gale force winds – as extreme weather sparks travel chaos with trains cancelled

They said their efforts had been focused on nursing him back to health after he was in captivity for two months.

King, who was flown to a military hospital in Texas on September 28, has still not publicly explained why he ran across the border.

Reuters also received a statement from the soldier’s mother Claudine Gates.

She asked that King be afforded the presumption of innocence.

“The man I raised, the man I dropped off at boot camp, the man who spent the holidays with me before deploying did not drink,” Gates said.

“A mother knows her son, and I believe something happened to mine while he was deployed. The Army promised to investigate what happened at Camp Humphreys, and I await the results.”

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun online. The-Sun.com is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @TheSunUS.