A US soldier has crossed the border from South to North Korea without permission. He took part in a tour along the South Korean part of the demilitarized zone and “deliberately” crossed the border, the US armed forces in Korea said. It is believed that the man is now in custody in North Korea and work is being done to clarify the incident.
Citing military officials, broadcaster CNN reported that the man was stationed as a soldier in Korea. There was a disciplinary procedure against him there, he should be sent back to the USA. He took part in the tour as a civilian. CNN quoted a US official as saying there were no signs that he wanted to defect. Several South Korean media reported on Tuesday that the man suddenly jumped over the brick line marking the border. It is a private in the US Army.
The tour took him according to the US and local United Nations Commands to the Joint Security Area, also known as Panmunjom. This border village is located in the demilitarized zone between the two Korean states. There, soldiers from each side secure the strictly guarded border, which may not be crossed without permission.
Americans have entered North Korea illegally several times in recent years. There they were usually sentenced to several years in prison and only released after lengthy negotiations. The case of the US student Otto Warmbier made headlines around the world. He was arrested during a trip to North Korea and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in March 2016 for allegedly trying to steal a propaganda banner. Warmbier was released in June 2017 – at the time he was in a coma with severe brain damage. He died within a week of returning to the US. The cause of death is unclear, his family refused an autopsy and accuses North Korea of abuse. The US State Department has since banned travel to North Korea, citing “the continued high risk of arrest and long-term detention of US citizens”.
The two Korean states have been divided along a demarcation line since the 1950-1953 war. To date, only one ceasefire, which was concluded in Panmunjom, is valid. To this day, there is no peace treaty. Tensions between the two countries had recently increased, mainly because of North Korea’s nuclear program and missile tests. The United States held a joint missile defense exercise with South Korea and Japan on Monday. And a few days ago, Pyongyang accused the United States of violating North Korean airspace with a reconnaissance aircraft.