18 July 2023 , 15:18
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A US Army soldier has voluntarily crossed the border into North Korea without authorisation.
The highly unusual move is being investigated as a possible defection - amid claims the soldier was laughing when he ran over the border.
The US and North Korea have poor relations and the communist regime is known as a rogue state at odds with the West for most of its history.
The demilitarised zone (DMZ) was put in place in the aftermath of the Korean War, which ended in 1953. The border is known as one of the most heavily fortified areas in the world.
At a briefing, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the crossing was deliberate and that he was concerned at the situation. Mr Austin said: "One of our service members who was on a tour willfully and without authorisation crossed the demarcation line. He is in custody.
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"We are closely monitoring the situation and working to notify the soldier's next of kin. I'm absolutely foremost concerned about the welfare of our troop."
In a statement, the United Nations Command said: "A US National on a JSA (joint security area) orientation tour crossed, without authorisation, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
"We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident."
An announcement on the incident from the Pentagon confirmed what had happened. Here's everything we know so far...
Travis King - the second class private
Two US officials said the soldier detained was Private 2nd Class Travis King, 23, who had just been released from a South Korean prison where he'd been held on assault charges and was facing additional military disciplinary actions in the United States.
King is reported to be in his early 20s.
The soldier is reported to have been detained for a month and a half and was due to fly home. He is then believed to have left the airport and joined a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) between North and South Korea.
A defence official told CNN there was no indication the soldier was planning to defect and he was not escorted to the airport because he was no longer in custody.
His flight, ABC News reported, was bound for Fort Bliss, Texas.
Reports in South Korea say he crossed the border without permission at 3.27pm local time.
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US officials have not confirmed the identity of the soldier known to have crossed the border (Getty Images AsiaPac)The Mirror has approached the Department of Defence for comment.
A spokesman for the US military in South Korea, Colonel Isaac Taylor, said: "We're still doing some research into this, and everything that happened."
Laughing as he crossed the border
At a briefing, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the crossing was deliberate and that he was concerned at the situation.
A defence official told CNN there was no indication the soldier was planning to defect.
An official also told CBS News the alleged defector managed to join the border tour after somehow managing to return through airport security.
The border crossing is the only place where the enemy nations of North and South Korea face each other (Bloomberg via Getty Images)A witness told the broadcaster that the man in question ran away from the tour laughing as he did so, leading others on the civilian tour group to believe he was joking.
"This man gives out a loud 'ha ha ha,' and just runs in between some buildings," they said.
South Korean news site Daejon Ilbo added North Korea is trying to recruit the as yet unconfirmed individual.
The US has imposed a travel ban on its citizens to North Korea "due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of US nationals."
A civilian tour
The soldier in question is reported to have joined a tour to the Joint Security Area, the only point of the DMZ where soldiers from North and South Korea stand face to face.
South Korean Travel Planning said tours to the Joint Security Area (JSA) have recently resumed. Bloodshed and gunfire have occasionally occurred there, but it has also been a venue for numerous talks and a popular tourist spot.