A national of the United States has likely been detained in North Korea after crossing the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas without authorisation, according to the United Nations Command.

The person was taking part in a tour to the Joint Security Area (JSA), the border village in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between South Korea and North Korea where soldiers from both sides stand guard.

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 유엔군사령부/유엔사 (@UN_Command) July 18, 2023

“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, which has helped oversee the DMZ since an armistice ended fighting in the 1950-1953 Korean War, said on Tuesday.

“We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” the UN Command added, referring to North Korea’s People’s Army.

It gave no further details on who the person is or why he crossed the border.