An American man who crossed the border from South Korea to North Korea was a soldier, US authorities have said.
The UN Command, which seeks to ensure security on the Korean Peninsula, tweeted on Tuesday that the US citizen was on a tour to a Korean border village and crossed the border into the North without authorisation.
The UN Command says he is currently believed to be in North Korean custody and that the UN Command is working with its North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident.
There were no immediate details about how or why the soldier crossed the heavily fortified border or whether the soldier was on duty. The US officials spoke to AP on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity ahead of a public announcement.
The man was taking part in a tour to the Joint Security Area, the border village in the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas where soldiers from both sides stand guard.
“A US National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorisation, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),” the UN Command wrote on Twitter.
“We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident.”
Cases of Americans or South Koreans defecting to North Korea are rare, but more than 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea to avoid political oppression and economic difficulties since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Panmunjom, located inside the 154-mile-long demilitaried zone, was created at the end of the Korean War. It has also been a venue for numerous talks and a popular tourist spot.
The area is jointly overseen by the UN Command and North Korea.
In November 2017, North Korean soldiers fired 40 rounds as one of their colleagues raced toward freedom. The soldier was hit five times before he was found beneath a pile of leaves on the southern side of Panmunjom. He survived and is now in South Korea.No civilians live at Panmunjom.
