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The US soldier who crossed the border into North Korea in a suspected defection shouted "ha ha ha" as he ran, a witness has said.
A US service member reportedly crossed the border into North Korea from the demilitarized zone (DMZ) - the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea.
The United Nations Command reported the incident and stated that the individual is now believed to be in North Korean custody.
The witness, who was part of the same tour group visiting the DMZ, gave their account of the incident.
According to the witness, they had just visited one of the buildings at the site when they heard a man give out a loud "ha ha ha" and saw him run in between some buildings.
The witness told CBS News: "This man gives out a loud 'ha ha ha,' and just runs in between some buildings. I thought it was a bad joke at first, but when he didn't come back, I realizsed it wasn't a joke, and then everybody reacted and things got crazy."
A US official said the service member was initially being escorted back to the United States for disciplinary reasons but somehow managed to return and join a border tour before crossing into North Korea.
The witness mentioned that military personnel reacted quickly to the man's actions, but there was initial confusion.
They stated that there were no North Korean soldiers visible where the man ran, likely due to the border restrictions enforced during the coronavirus pandemic.
After the man crossed the border, the tour group was rushed back to the Freedom House, where everyone had to provide statements about the incident before being taken back to their bus, he said.
The witness was deeply affected by the incident and shared their emotions about it. On the way back on the bus, they counted the number of people who went in and came back, realising that one person was missing.
They said: "I'm telling you this because it actually hit me quite hard," the witness said. "It was on the way back in the bus, and we got to one of the checkpoints... Someone said we were 43 going in and 42 coming back."
The DMZ separating North and South Korea is heavily fortified, and the incident adds to the tension between North Korea and the US, South Korea, and Japan.
North Korea has been conducting missile and rocket tests, while the US expects North Korea to conduct a new nuclear weapon test.
The US recently sent a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea, which further adds to the tensions.
Kim Jong Un's sister warned the US against reinforcing its commitment to defend South Korea, threatening a move away from negotiations.
The situation remains sensitive, given the unresolved Korean War and the presence of US troops in South Korea.
Archive
The US soldier who crossed the border into North Korea in a suspected defection shouted "ha ha ha" as he ran, a witness has said.
A US service member reportedly crossed the border into North Korea from the demilitarized zone (DMZ) - the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea.
The United Nations Command reported the incident and stated that the individual is now believed to be in North Korean custody.
The witness, who was part of the same tour group visiting the DMZ, gave their account of the incident.
According to the witness, they had just visited one of the buildings at the site when they heard a man give out a loud "ha ha ha" and saw him run in between some buildings.
The witness told CBS News: "This man gives out a loud 'ha ha ha,' and just runs in between some buildings. I thought it was a bad joke at first, but when he didn't come back, I realizsed it wasn't a joke, and then everybody reacted and things got crazy."
A US official said the service member was initially being escorted back to the United States for disciplinary reasons but somehow managed to return and join a border tour before crossing into North Korea.
The witness mentioned that military personnel reacted quickly to the man's actions, but there was initial confusion.
They stated that there were no North Korean soldiers visible where the man ran, likely due to the border restrictions enforced during the coronavirus pandemic.
After the man crossed the border, the tour group was rushed back to the Freedom House, where everyone had to provide statements about the incident before being taken back to their bus, he said.
The witness was deeply affected by the incident and shared their emotions about it. On the way back on the bus, they counted the number of people who went in and came back, realising that one person was missing.
They said: "I'm telling you this because it actually hit me quite hard," the witness said. "It was on the way back in the bus, and we got to one of the checkpoints... Someone said we were 43 going in and 42 coming back."
The DMZ separating North and South Korea is heavily fortified, and the incident adds to the tension between North Korea and the US, South Korea, and Japan.
North Korea has been conducting missile and rocket tests, while the US expects North Korea to conduct a new nuclear weapon test.
The US recently sent a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea, which further adds to the tensions.
Kim Jong Un's sister warned the US against reinforcing its commitment to defend South Korea, threatening a move away from negotiations.
The situation remains sensitive, given the unresolved Korean War and the presence of US troops in South Korea.
