US soldier who fled to North Korea sentenced to one year in confinement and dishonorable discharge

The US soldier who ran across the border from South to North Korea last year was sentenced Friday to one year in confinement and dishonorable discharge after pleading guilty to charges of desertion and assault.

Pvt. Travis King pleaded guilty at a court martial in Fort Bliss, Texas, to one count – or specification – of desertion, one count of assault on a noncommissioned officer and three counts of disobeying a superior commissioned officer, according to a statement from the US Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.

King was also reduced in rank to an E1, the lowest enlisted rank. The time King spent in confinement after his apprehension will count toward his sentence, the Army said.

King had been facing 14 counts under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including desertion, possession of child pornography, assaulting a noncommissioned officer and disobeying a superior officer. His lawyer, Franklin Rosenblatt, said several of those charges were "withdrawn and dismissed by the Army" as part of the plea agreement.

CNN first reported last month that King was expected to enter a guilty plea .

His case was taken over by the Army's Office of Special Trial Counsel in July, a spokesperson for the office, Michelle McCaskill, previously told CNN .

This story has been updated with additional reporting.