US service member in North Korean custody after crossing DMZ line
Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on July 18, 2023
(NEW YORK) — A U.S. service member who crossed into North Korea “without authorization” is in custody in the secretive country, United Nations and U.S. officials said 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,” the United Nations Command said on Twitter. “We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident.”
The Joint Security Area, or JSA, sits in the Demilitarized Zone along the border between North and South Korea.
A U.S. official told ABC News that the detainee was a U.S. service member.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Luis Martinez contributed to this story.
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