By HYUNG-JIN KIM
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Wednesday offered its first official confirmation that it had detained a U.S. soldier who bolted into its country last month, releasing a statement through its state media attributing statements to the Army private that criticized the United States. One expert called the announcement “100% North Korean propaganda.”
There was no immediate verification that Pvt. Travis King actually made any of the comments about his home country. King, who had served in South Korea and sprinted into North Korea while on a civilian tour of a border village on July 18, became the first American confirmed to be detained in the North in nearly five years.
The official Korean Central News Agency, citing an investigation, said King told them he decided to enter North Korea because he “harbored ill feelings against inhuman mistreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.” The report said King also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in North Korea or a third country, saying he “was disillusioned at the unequal American society.”
KCNA is the official voice of leader Kim Jong Un’s government, and its content is carefully calibrated to reflect North Korea’s official line that the United States is an evil adversary.
The report said North Korea’s investigation into King’s “illegal” entry would continue. Verifying the authenticity of the comments attributed to King in North Korea’s state media is impossible.
The United States, South Korea and others have accused North Korea of using foreign detainees in the past to wrest diplomatic concessions. Some foreign detainees have said after their releases that their declarations of guilt while in North Korean custody were made under coercion.
A U.S. Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the U.S. had no way to verify North Korea’s claims about King. The official said the…
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