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An unusual incident occurred on Tuesday when a US soldier was taken into custody by North Korea after crossing the inter-Korean border. This incident has taken place amidst heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.
The soldier, identified as Travis King, a private second class, had been on a guided tour of the Joint Security Area in the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas. An Army spokesman confirmed that King had joined the military in January 2021.
The United Nations Command (UNC), the multinational force residing in South Korea, reported that a US citizen had crossed the demarcation line into North Korea.
Colonel Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for US Forces Korea, later stated that the US service member had voluntarily and without authorization crossed into North Korea. Both the US military and North Korean authorities are working together to resolve the situation.
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern for the soldier’s wellbeing and stated that the situation would continue to develop in the coming days.
The service member had recently been in South Korean custody on assault charges and was due to return to the US for military discipline. Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, emphasized that the Biden administration’s primary focus was to ensure the individual’s wellbeing and uncover the details surrounding the incident.
The Joint Security Area, where the incident occurred, had previously undergone demilitarization as part of a 2018 agreement between the UNC and North Korea. However, visitors to the area are supposed to be closely supervised by UNC troops.
This incident marks a rare occurrence of an American being taken into North Korean custody. The last known detainment of a US citizen was in 2018 when a man was held for a month after illegally entering from China.
The military deployments have triggered a strong reaction from North Korea. Kim Yo Jong, a senior regime official and sister of leader Kim Jong Un, accused the US of engaging in provocative acts that jeopardize its own security.
Aquilino, head of US Indo-Pacific command, revealed that North Korea had fired two missiles, potentially in response to the presence of the US submarine. Aquilino expressed confusion over the justification for these continuous missile launches.
Additional reporting by Donato Paolo Mancini in London and Lauren Fedor in Washington
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