U.S. National Detained by North Korea After Crossing Border from South Korea, UN Reports

A U.S. national has been detained by North Korea after crossing the border from South Korea, the United Nations said Tuesday. The unnamed person was on a tour of the Joint Security Area, part of the demilitarized zone between the two countries.

The United Nations Command, which operates the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, said in a tweet posted in both English and Korean that the individual had crossed the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) without authorization.

Local media reported that the foreign tourist crossed over at 3:27pm local time. The United Nations Command said in a tweet that they believe the person is currently in North Korean custody and are working with their counterparts in the Korean People’s Army (KPA) to resolve the incident.

The United States has not yet commented on the incident. It is unclear why the individual crossed the border or what the consequences might be. The United Nations Command has said it is working with the KPA to resolve the incident.