US Soldier detained in North Korea After Crossing North at Border Town

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An American soldier facing disciplinary action by the U.S. military is believed to be in North Korean custody after illegally crossing the border dividing the two Koreas at the Joint Security Area, or JSA, on Tuesday.

“What we do know is that one of our service members who was on a tour, willfully and without authorization, crossed the Military Demarcation Line, or MDL. We believe he is in DPRK custody,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a briefing on Tuesday.

“And so, we are closely monitoring and investigating the situation and working to notify the soldier's next of kin,” he said. “I’m absolutely foremost concerned about the welfare of our troops. And so, we will remain focused on this.”

The soldier, who the Army identified at Private Second Class Travis T. King, had been in a detention facility for about a month and a half for disciplinary measures, a U.S. official told VOA, adding that he was taken to the airport to return to the U.S. but never got on the plane.

Another official told VOA that the soldier was supposed to be heading to the U.S. for pending administrative separation from the U.S. military.

Officials say the soldier joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom, where he fled across the border.

The United Nations Command, a multinational military force stationed at the border village to maintain the pause to the Korean War, said it is working with North Korea’s military to “resolve the incident.