WASHINGTON, Aug 16 —The US State Department said today it could not verify comments attributed to Private Travis King by North Korea and remained focused on his safe return.

North Korean state media said the US soldier, who crossed into the North from South Korea on July 18, wants refuge there or elsewhere because of "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination.”

"The Department’s priority is to bring Private King home, and we are working through all available channels to achieve that outcome,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. — Reuters