A US soldier who crossed the border into North Korea without authorisation has been arrested by the security services, according to US officials. The service member entered the totalitarian dictatorship during a tour of the Joint Security Area, a shared militarised zone, between South Korea and the North. The NYT reported that the soldier had recently been arrested for assault charges in South Korea and faced disciplinary action back in Texas. Reportedly, the soldier then dodged boarding a plane and went on a tour of the Joint Security Area before running across the border. It puts the US in an awkward position. It has no formal relations with Pyongyang, but now has to negotiate for the release of a soldier through Swedish intermediaries.
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