The American soldier detained in North Korea may have gotten there on a tour bus. Now, his arrest has become the latest diplomatic incident between the Cold War foes.
The American soldier was being sent back to the U.S. to be kicked out of the Army after a conviction for assault, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. He was taken to an airport but returned through the security checkpoint and made his way to the demilitarized zone in the company of a tour group.
The U.S. soldier then pulled the stunt running the across so-called Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, another U.S. official told USA TODAY. And he was last seen leaving in a vehicle. It’s unclear whose vehicle it was, or if he stole it, the official said.
The U.S. soldier is believed to have been taken into North Korean custody on Tuesday.
The bizarre incident comes as tensions between North Korea and the U.S. and its allies in the region have spiked over North Korea’s continued launch of ballistic missiles. Last week, North Korea launched what was suspected to be a ballistic missile and also threatened to shoot down U.S. surveillance planes.
Previous to being sent back to the U.S., the soldier had served a sentence of 50 days before being sent back to the United States, according to the source.
Army Col. Isaac Taylor confirmed Tuesday that a U.S. service member “willfully and without authorization” crossed into North Korea. U.S. authorities are working to “resolve this incident, Taylor said in a statement.
North Korea has not acknowledged the incident or commented at all.
United Nations Command said the American was in North Korean custody and it was working to “resolve the incident.”
The U.S. State Department referred all inquiries to the Defense Department.
Detained in North Korea
Previous Americans who have been detained in North Korea have not been treated well. College student Otto Warmbier, for example, was released in a vegetative state in 2017 after spending 17 months in captivity. He died a short while later. His parents said he had been tortured and suffered brain damage.
Three Americans detained in North Korea were freed in 2018 when Donald Trump was president.
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The border between South and North Korea is one of the most heavily fortified in the world. It runs for about 150 miles and divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half along the “38th parallel” − the cease-fire line of demarcation between the two nations that has existed since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
But Bruce Klingner, a former CIA deputy division chief for South Korea, said that it is relatively easy to cross from South into North Korea via the so-called Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone, which is where the soldier did because there’s no formal barrier and the border consists of a line of raised concrete blocks.
Trump briefly set foot in North Korea when he met the nation’s leader Kim Jong Un there.
“Someone can just sort of dash across the line,” said Klingner.
Hundreds of North Koreans attempt to flee to the South each year, where they seek an escape from political oppression, better economic opportunities and famine. But cases of defections across the demilitarized zone are extremely rare − and even rarer for Americans and South Koreans going the other way.
North Korea is one of the most economically and politically isolated countries in the world. Its military has a variety of ballistic and cruise missiles that it has tested in recent years and threatened the U.S. with. It has also tested nuclear bombs. In recent weeks, North Korea has accused the U.S. of repeatedly violating its airspace.
There are about 28,000 American troops stationed in South Korea.
Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador and congressman who is an experienced hostage negotiator, said “the worst thing to do would be to start attacking the North Koreans for taking the individual into questioning.”
It may escalate the situation, he said.
“I have worked many times with the North Koreans on similar issues. I think this can be resolved.”
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