Potential punishment for Travis King unclear after return from North Korea

With Army Pvt. Travis King back in the US after two months in North Korean custody, it’s unclear if he will face disciplinary actions for running across the demarcation line into North Korea.

Experts say it’s possible King could be charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice – possibly under Article 85 for desertion or Article 86 for going Absent Without Leave, or AWOL. But it’s unclear if the Army will take that step.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Tuesday that any punishment King could face would come from his chain of command after he completes the reintegration process at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

“Right now, we’re really focused on the reintegration process for Pvt. King … We will get to the point where the chain of command will decide sort of what consequences he’ll be facing in terms of the things that have happened, but we’re not at that point right now,” Wormuth said.

Before running into North Korea in July, King had already faced criminal charges and was court martialed by the Army in South Korea. CNN previously reported that King was expected to be administratively separated from the military after being found guilty in a court martial hearing related to assault and other charges.

The day before King crossed into North Korea, he was expected to board a flight from Seoul back to the US. Instead, officials told CNN King joined a tour of the Joint Security Area inside the demilitarized zone, later running from the group to North Korea’s side of the demarcation line.

Now, King is on temporary duty orders to Joint Base San Antonio as he completes the reintegration process, which Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee said includes “medical care, decompression, and debriefing.” King was reunited with his family over the weekend, Dubee added.

“The reintegration is the DoD…