▲ This photo, provided by AP on July 24, 2023, shows a file image of American soldier Travis King during a news program being aired at Seoul Station in central Seoul. (AP-Yonhap)

N Korea-US soldier

N. Korea says U.S. Private Travis King expresses wish to seek refuge: KCNA

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Wednesday said it is investigating a U.S. soldier who crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into the country last month, saying that he expressed willingness to seek refuge there or a third country, state media reported.

It marked the North's first confirmation of the status of Pvt. Travis King, who crossed the military demarcation line into the North during a tour to the Joint Security Area in the DMZ on July 18.

"Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in an English-language report.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"He also expressed his willingness to seek refugee in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society," it added.

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[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]