A U.S. Army soldier is believed to be in custody in North Korea after he "willfully and without authorization" crossed into the country from South Korea.
In a tweet on Tuesday, U.N. Command, which provides support to the Republic of Korea, said a U.S. national on an "orientation tour" of the Joint Security Area had crossed into North Korea "without authorization."
The Joint Security Area refers to a location used for diplomatic relations between North and South Korea.
"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)," U.N. Command wrote on Tuesday. The Military Demarcation Line is considered the border between territory controlled by Pyongyang and that under Seoul's jurisdiction.
In a Korean-language version of the message, U.N. Command said the U.S. national had "defected to North Korea," according to an English translation.
"We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," U.N. Command wrote.
The person involved is a U.S. Army soldier, a U.S. Defense Department spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek. He "willfully and without authorization" crossed the Military Demarcation Line, the spokesperson said, adding the U.S. also believes he is in North Korean custody.
The spokesperson declined to provide additional details.
A U.S. official told CBS News that the soldier was being escorted back to U.S. soil for disciplinary reasons, but had rejoined a tour at the border after passing through airport security.
An eyewitness told the outlet that they had been part of the same tour group visiting the Military Demarcation Line, but that after visiting a building in the area, "this man gives out a loud 'ha ha ha,' and just runs in between some buildings."
Newsweek has also reached out to the White House and the South Korean defense and foreign ministries for comment via email.
Tensions between North and South Korea have flared in recent months, spurred on by Pyongyang's anger over U.S. military collaboration with Seoul. In a provocative statement earlier this month, North Korea's defense ministry said the U.S. sending a nuclear submarine to the Korean peninsula had created a "very dangerous situation," bringing the region "closer to the threshold of nuclear conflict."
The U.S. State Department advises U.S. citizens not to travel to North Korea "due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals," describing this as a "critical threat."
News of the U.S. national's detention coincides with the arrival of the U.S. Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, the USS Kentucky, in the South Korean port of Busan.
The arrival of the submarine "reflects US' ironclad commitment to the ROK for our extended deterrence guarantee," U.S. Forces Korea said in a statement, referring to South Korea as the Republic of Korea.
In mid-June, another Ohio-class vessel, the USS Michigan guided-missile submarine, stopped in Busan for a scheduled port visit.
Update 07/18/23, 7:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 07/18/23, 10:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a Pentagon statement.
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Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more