Travis King case highlights North Korea's history of citing US racism

North Korea's claim on Wednesday that U.S. soldier Travis King fled racism and abuse in America comes as Pyongyang pushes back on Washington's criticism of the North's human rights record.

North Korea broke nearly a month of silence on King, who is Black, issuing a state media report that he had confessed to illegally and deliberately entering the North, driven by "ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army" and disillusionment with inequality in U.S. society.

King has not been directly heard from, but an uncle in United...