Pyongyang [North Korea], August 16 : In a major development in the case of a US soldier crossing into North Korea, Pyongyang said on Wednesday claimed that the soldier has admitted “illegally intruding” due to "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army”, Yonhap news agency reported citing country’s state media KCNA on Wednesday.
North Korea has further claimed that the soldier, Travis King has expressed a willingness to seek refuge there or in a third country.
Meanwhile, this has marked Pyongyang’s first confirmation of the status of King, who crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) into the North during a tour to the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the DMZ on July 18.
"Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harboured ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army," Yonhap news agency quoted the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stating 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," the report added.
The KCNA said its soldiers took custody of King after he "deliberately intruded" into the North's side of the JSA and that the investigation by a "relevant organ" is ongoing.
US officials have said King "willfully" crossed the MDL "without authorization" during the group tour and that the North has not made any substantive response to its inquiries over his status, Yonhap news agency reported.
The US-led UN Command, which oversees activities in the DMZ, has said it is working with its North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident but has declined to provide details.
King has faced legal trouble after being stationed in South Korea, being detained in a prison workshop for 48 days earlier this year after failing to pay a fine on charges of inflicting damage on a police patrol car, as per Yonhap news agency.
He had been set to be sent home on July 17, where he could have faced additional disciplinary action, but he did not board his flight and took part in the JSA tour the next day.
The incident came as tensions have run high due to North Korea's continued weapons tests, including a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile launch last month, Yonhap news agency reported.
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