North Korea detains US national who crossed Military Demarcation Line

A U.S. national on a tour to the joint security area between North and South Korea crossed the Military Demarcation Line without authorization and is now believed to be in detained in North Korea, the U.N. Command announced Tuesday.

“A U.S. National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),” the peacekeeping force said in a tweet. “We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our Korean People’s Army counterparts to resolve this incident.”

In this photo taken on May 9, 2023, South Korean soldiers walk at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, with a view of North Korea’s Panmon Hall in the background. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

The identity of the individual was not immediately available.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.

The State Department advises Americans not to travel to North Korea “due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals.”

“The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in North Korea as it does not have diplomatic or consular relations with North Korea,” it adds in a travel advisory.

Cases of Americans or South Koreans defecting to North Korea are rare, though more than 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea to avoid political oppression and economic difficulties since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, according to The Associated Press.

The Korean border village of Panmunjom, located inside the 154-mile-long Demilitarized Zone, was created at the close of the Korean War. The area is jointly overseen by the U.N. Command and North Korea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.