A US citizen has likely been detained in North Korea after crossing the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas without authorisation, according to the United Nations Command.
US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters and the Associated Press news agencies on Tuesday that the man was a US soldier. No more details of the man’s identity were immediately released, and it was not clear how or why he crossed the heavily fortified border or if he was on duty at the time.
Earlier in the day, the UN Command, which has helped oversee the DMZ since an armistice ended fighting in the 1950-1953 Korean War, said the person was taking part in a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA), which includes the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South Korea and North Korea where soldiers from both sides stand guard.
“A U.S. National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),” the command said on Tuesday.
“We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” the UN Command added, referring to North Korea’s People’s Army.
