Did the American Soldier Who Defected to North Korea Suffer Discrimination?

The U.S. State Department stated on Wednesday that it cannot verify claims attributed to soldier Travis King by North Korea and continues to focus on his safe return. North Korean media reported that the American soldier who crossed into the North from South Korea on July 18 wants asylum due to "inhumane treatment and racial discrimination." U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel mentioned that the United States has not yet received any response from North Korea regarding its ongoing efforts to communicate about soldier Travis King, despite acknowledged by North Korean official media for the first time on Wednesday that the American soldier crossed from South Korea. Patel said, "We have raised this issue through the appropriate channels available to send messages to and communicate with North Korea."