The incident throws a curveball into Washington-Pyongyang relations amid heightened nuclear tensions.
North Korea has been ratcheting up its nuclear weapons provocations in recent months, and the incident came the same day the United States made a rare docking of a nuclear-capable submarine at a South Korean naval base.
The American soldier has been identified as 23-year-old junior enlisted soldier Private 2nd Class Travis King. Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee said King has been a Cavalry Scout in the service since January 2021 and had earned a number of awards including the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal and Overseas Service Ribbon.
He was reportedly returning to the U.S. from South Korea for disciplinary reasons, but managed to leave the airport and join a tour of the demilitarized zone with North Korea where he ran across the border. He is now believed to be in the custody of Pyongyang.
Both the Pentagon and White House on Tuesday confirmed King was being detained by North Korea.
"We're very early in this event, and so there's a lot that that we're still trying to learn, but what we do know is that one of our service members who was on a tour willfully and without authorization crossed the military demarcation line," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters at the Pentagon.
"I'm absolutely foremost concerned about the welfare of our troop. And so we will remain focused on this," he added.
And Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said later Tuesday that the "primary concern is ascertaining the well-being of this individual" and the White House is looking into the situation and trying to get more information.
Jean-Pierre said she had no calls to read out from President Biden to either North Korea or South Korea, but said the U.S. is "engaging" with Sweden and South Korea on the issue.
U.S. officials also said they are working with the Korean People's Army, North Korea's military, to "resolve this incident," but it's not yet clear how North Korea could seek to exploit its holding of a U.S. soldier.
Pyongyang has previously used American detainees to draw concessions from Washington, ranging from calls for sanctions relief to symbolic moves of international recognition.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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