An American citizen has been arrested in North Korea, according to a United Nations agency. The American national crossed the military demarcation line into North Korea.
He was visiting the border between the two Koreas. An American entered North Korean soil without authorization and was apprehended, announced the United Nations on Tuesday, July 18.
“A U.S. citizen participating in a JSA (Joint Security Area) orientation tour crossed the Military Demarcation Line without authorization to enter the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),” stated the United Nations Command. “We have now learned that the individual is being detained by North Korea, and we are working with the North Korean military to resolve this situation,” the command added.
The border separating North Korea and South Korea is a demilitarized zone (DMZ), which is a roughly 4-kilometer-wide strip of land that extends approximately 250 kilometers from east to west. It has been in place since the signing of the armistice between the United States, China, and North Korea on July 27, 1953, following the war.
