The State Department admitted Friday that it had received a letter requesting asylum on May 8 from five North Koreans who sought asylum at a Japanese consulate in China the same day and are now in South Korea.
The State Department has a copy of the letter sent by the Defense Forum Foundation, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said at a regular briefing.
The nonpartisan foundation has been involved in drawing attention to the situation in North Korea and the plight of North Korean refugees.
"The message stated that the family sought asylum in the United States," Reeker said. "Unfortunately, the letter was not transmitted to relevant offices in the department that were handling this matter."