In this photograph taken on May 9, South Korean troopers stand guard as they face North Korea within the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.

Anthony Wallace/AFP through Getty Images

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Anthony Wallace/AFP through Getty Images

In this photograph taken on May 9, South Korean troopers stand guard as they face North Korea within the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.

Anthony Wallace/AFP through Getty Images

A U.S. man has been detained in North Korea after crossing the border with out authorization, in accordance with the United Nations physique that oversees the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.

The U.S. nationwide was on an “orientation tour” of the Joint Security Area, a border village between the 2 Koreas, the U.N. Command wrote in a tweet early Tuesday.

“We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” the physique mentioned, referring to North Korea by its formal title, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and its military.

The U.S. State Department didn’t instantly reply to NPR’s request for remark.

The DMZ divides the 2 Koreas, roughly across the 38^th parallel, and is the de facto worldwide border. It is closely fortified and mined on each side.

There have been quite a few incidents on the DMZ for the reason that early Fifties, and North Korean defectors sometimes handle to slide throughout the DMZ into South Korea.

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NPR’s Se Eun Gong contributed reporting from Seoul.