American detained by North Korea after crossing border, UN says
Global News
The U.S. national was on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea when they crossed the border without authorization.
A U.S. national is believed to be detained by North Korea after crossing the border from South Korea during a tour of the Demilitarized Zone, the United Nations Command stated.
The American was participating in a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) when they crossed the Military Demarcation Line separating North and South Korea.
“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). We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” the United Nations Command tweeted on Tuesday.
The KPA, or the Korean People’s Army, is the military arm of North Korea. Tours of the JSA, which is located inside the Demilitarized Zone, are open to the public and administered by the United Nations.
The identity of the U.S. national, and the reason why they crossed the border, have not yet been released by official sources.
CNN and CBS News reported that the man is believed to be a U.S. soldier, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
The soldier in question was being escorted back to the U.S. for disciplinary reasons, CBS reported. He went through airport security but somehow managed to leave the airport and join the border tour.