The U.S. State Department said on Monday that North Korea remains unresponsive to contact regarding the status of the U.S. soldier who crossed into the North last week.

Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press briefing that the U.S. has not had any substantive communication with North Korea about Private Travis King, with inquiries to ascertain his whereabouts and safety going unanswered.

Regarding media reports that the United Nations Command(UNC) began talks with the North Korean military through communication lines set up at the Joint Security Area, Miller said that there has been no new communication since last week.

The spokesperson said that although the UNC confirmed that its message was acknowledged by the North as received, he would refrain from categorizing that as an actual response.

He added that the U.S. has a number of channels to send messages to the North and has delivered some, but has not yet received a reply.

[Photo : YONHAP News]