US Soldier in North Korean Custody ‘Willfully’ Crossed the Border: Pentagon

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks at a plenary session at the Shangri-La Dialogue Asia security summit in Singapore on June 3, 2023, in a still from video. International Institute for Strategic Studies via Reuters/Screenshot via NTD

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on July 18 that a U.S. soldier crossed the border into North Korea, saying the individual willfully did so.

Earlier in the day, the U.S.-led U.N. Command overseeing the Demilitarized Zone confirmed that a U.S. citizen was on tour around the Korean border village of Panmunjom before that person crossed the border into North Korea without proper authorization. It didn’t specify whether the individual is a soldier, while Pyongyang hasn’t issued a public response.