53 F
Los Angeles
Wednesday, March 19, 2025

U.S. tourist defects to North Korea at border: UN Command

One American touring the Joint Security Area (JSA) at the inter-Korean border on Tuesday crossed over to the North Korean side, the United Nations Command said.

“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],” the UN Command said in a statement, referring to the North by its official name.

The command said the U.S. citizen was “in DPRK custody,” adding that it was communicating with the North Korean military to “resolve this incident.”

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]

The Korea Daily
The Korea Daily
Founded in 1974, The Korea Daily (미주중앙일보) is the largest Korean media outlet in the U.S., providing in-depth coverage of local, national, and international news with a strong focus on immigration, business, and the Korean-American community. While covering major cities across the U.S., including New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, and Dallas, as well as Vancouver and Toronto, Canada, The Korea Daily primarily focuses on news in Los Angeles County and Orange County. Headquartered in Koreatown, Los Angeles, it serves as a key news source for Korean Americans in Southern California.