For more than a month, observers have speculated whether North Korea will view Travis King as a useful propaganda tool for denouncing the U.S., or just a troublesome American who thinks he can claim asylum in the DPRK.

And judging from North Korea’s first-ever statement on the U.S. soldier, who crossed over during a tour of the inter-Korean border in July, it appears that even Pyongyang doesn’t yet know the answer to the question.