Iran Press/ Asia: Private 2nd Class Travis King, 23, had been deployed in South Korea and spent 47 days in a local jail after an altercation with locals, according to U.S. officials. After his release, he booked a tour of the Demilitarized Zone, during which he ran across the border.
North Korea responded early this month to questions about King, U.S. officials said at the time. A story published Tuesday in North Korea's state media appeared to mark the country's first public comments on King's presence and status.
Officials in North Korea said they've been investigating how and why King had crossed into the country, the report said.
King is alleged to have told investigators he crossed the border because he "harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army," the report said.
"He also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society," the report said.
A State Department spokesperson on Wednesday said that the department can't verify the comments attributed to King by Pyongyang and that U.S. officials are still trying to secure his release.
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