The World Briefly
July 19, 2023Univited Guest
North Korea
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North Korea detained a US soldier who crossed into the country from South Korea on Tuesday, an incident that comes amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear program, NBC News reported Tuesday.
The US-led United Nations Command said the American national, who was being sent back to the US, tagged along on an orientation tour of the joint security area, part of the demilitarized zone between the two countries.
The UN said the soldier “crossed, without authorization” the demarcation line in the demilitarized zone, adding that military officials from both sides are working to “resolve this incident.”
Since the 1960s, private companies have been organizing tours of the area, while the United Nations has conducted its own tours for its staff.
This area, situated just 30 miles north of the South Korean capital, is the location where the armistice to end the Korean War was signed in 1953.
The development comes as the United States’ USS Kentucky, a nuclear-powered submarine, arrived in South Korean waters on Tuesday, marking the first such deployment in four decades, according to the Associated Press.
Observers said the submarine’s arrival is part of a series of agreements made between the US and South Korea in response to concerns over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
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