US soldier fled from South Korea because of Army racism, claims North Korea

Travis King, a US soldier, who allegedly entered North Korea last month is a result of "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination" in the army, claims to North Korea.

On July 18, the 23-year-old private ran from South Korea across the border while on a tour.

The US Soldier admitted to illegally crossing the border and wished to seek refuge in the North.

Washington said it could not verify the claims, which are Pyongyang's first public comments on the case.

The welfare of the US soldier, who has not been seen or heard from since his passage, has come under increasing scrutiny.

The US is trying to negotiate Private King's release with the help of the UN Command, which runs the border area, and has a direct phoneline to the North Korean army.

Responding to the North Korean report on Wednesday, a Pentagon official said their priority was to have Private King brought home safely "through all available channels".

Private King admitted to having "illegally" entering the country, but North Korea has not stated how it intends to treat him.

He may be prosecuted or punished, although the state news outlet KCNA made no mention of this.

His present location or state were not included in the report.

According to BBC, Private King is a reconnaissance specialist who has been in the army since January 2021 and was in South Korea as part of his rotation.

Before crossing the border, he served two months in detention in South Korea for assault charges and was released on 10 July.