An American citizen was detained by North Korea after crossing the border

The United Nations says North Korea may have detained an American citizen for crossing the border.

A U.S. citizen has been detained in North Korea for allegedly crossing the military demarcation line separating North and South Korea without permission, according to the United Nations Command.

According to the United Nations, the man was taking part in a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA), a border village in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between South and North Korea where troops from both sides are stationed.

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). We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident. pic.twitter.com/a6amvnJTuY

— United Nations Command United Nations Command/United Nations Command (@UN_Command) July 18, 2023

“A US national on a JSA orientation tour crossed the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), without permission,” the statement said.

“We believe he is currently in North Korean custody and we are working with our KPA (North Korean military) counterparts to resolve this incident,” the UN said.

However, the UN has not released details about who the man is and why he crossed the border.