ASIA PACIFIC

U.S. national in North Korean custody after crossing inter-Korean border during tour

North Korean soldiers stand beneath the entrance to a pavilion before the Military Demarcation Line at the truce village of Panmunjom on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone separating the Koreas in June 2018. | AFP-JIJI

By Jesse Johnson
STAFF WRITER

Jul 18, 2023

A U.S. soldier was believed to have been detained by North Korea on Tuesday after crossing into the country while on a tour of the heavily fortified Joint Security Area at the border with the South.

"A U.S. National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea," the United Nations Command said in a statement. "We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident."

KPA refers to the North's Korean People's Army.

U.S. national in North Korean custody after crossing inter-Korean border during tour

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