The US citizen who crossed the heavily guarded border from South Korea into North Korea while on a sightseeing tour is a US soldier. The US soldier “deliberately and without permission” crossed the demarcation line during a visit to the demilitarized zone between the two states, a US military spokesman said today. He is currently believed to be in North Korean custody.
Report: Served in military detention in South Korea
The US military is working with North Korean forces “to resolve this incident,” the spokesman said. US broadcaster CBS reported that the soldier was temporarily in military custody in South Korea and should have been removed from the country for disciplinary reasons. However, after going through security checks at the airport, he was able to turn around and join a group of visitors to the demilitarized zone.
The UN command in the area had previously said a US citizen had crossed the border and was believed to be in North Korean custody. South Korea and North Korea are still formally at war today because no peace treaty was signed after the 1950-1953 Korean War. A Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has separated the two Korean states since the end of the war. The areas bordering the border strip are strictly guarded. The South Korean side is also a popular tourist destination.