North Korea | American detained after border crossing

A US citizen has crossed the heavily fortified border from South Korea into North Korea, the US-led UN Command, which oversees the area, said Tuesday.

The agency published a statement on Twitter assuring that the detained citizen was visiting the border village of Panmunjom, and that he had crossed the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea without authorization.

The statement did not clarify whether the US citizen was a tourist or a military man. However, an anonymous South Korean source said that he was a US soldier. Shortly after, a Pentagon official, also anonymous, confirmed that the detained citizen is a member of the US armed forces.

The UN Command is in charge of the southern edge of the Joint Security Zone, the only point in the heart of the border where troops from the two Koreas, who are technically still at war, intersect.

The UN said it is working with its North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident. This occurs at a time of particular tension in the area.

The United States deployed a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea on Tuesday, as allies warned North Korea against using nuclear weapons in combat.

It is the first visit by a US nuclear submarine to South Korea in four decades.

Regular visits to South Korea by US nuclear submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles were one of the agreements reached by the presidents of both countries in April in response to the growing North Korean nuclear threat. They also agreed to establish a bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group and to expand military exercises.