The Korean border village of Panmunjom, located inside the 154-mile-long Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), has been a source of tension between the United States and North Korea for decades.
On Tuesday, an American soldier touring this demarcation line was arrested by North Korean forces after errantly stepping onto their territory.
The incident has brought the two nations back to the negotiating table in hopes of finding a peaceful resolution.
The United Nations Command told Fox News that on Tuesday an individual with a tour group set foot past the Military Demarcation Line which is the land border or demarcation line between North Korea and South Korea, and is now believed to be held by North Korean forces.
“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),” said in a tweet from peacekeeping forces. “We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our Korean People’s Army counterparts to resolve this incident.”
The State Department has continually warned Americans against traveling to North Korea because it is unable to negotiate their release should they be detained.
On the State Department website, it’s stated that “the U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in North Korea as it does not have diplomatic or consular relations with North Korea.”
