An active member of the U.S. service has wilfully crossed the Korean border into North Korea without authorisation, Reuters reported.

It is believed that the soldier is under North Korean custody. His safety and well-being are still under investigation.

Wilfully, without authorisation

"We are very early in this event, and so there's a lot that we are still trying to learn," U.S. Defense Secretary Austin said, as quoted by Yonhap.

The soldier, who has been identified as Private Travis T. King, 23, was on a civilian group tour to the Panmunjom border village when he crossed over the demarcation line.

The Panmunjom village is located within the Joint Security Area secured by the UN and the North Korean military, and is beyond the jurisdiction of North and South Korea.

"We believe that he is in DPRK custody, and so we are closely monitoring and investigating the situation and working to notify the soldier's next of kin and engaging to address this incident," Austin said.

He stressed that the soldier crossed the 38th parallel line dividing North Korea and South Korea wilfully and without authorisation.

According to Yonhap, the United Nations Command (UNC) in Korea is working with its North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident.

"The safety and security of any American overseas remains the top priority for the United States," U.S. State Department Press Secretary Matthew Miller said in a press briefing.

Detained for assault charges

Prior to crossing the demarcation line, 23-year-old King spent 50 days in a detention facility in South Korea due to assault charges.

According to U.S. Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee, King joined the service in 2021 and was a cavalry scout. He was in Korea as part of the 1st Armored Division.

He was released on Jul. 10 and was due to fly home to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he could face additional military disciplinary actions and a possible discharge from the service.

King was taken to the airport and was escorted to customs, but instead of boarding the plane, King left the airport and joined a tour to the Panmunjom village.

It was unclear how King got to the border or how he spent his time after leaving the airport to eventually crossing the border on Tuesday (Jul. 18) afternoon (Korea local time).

According to U.S. officials, civilian tours of the demilitarised zone are advertised at the airport, Reuters reported.

According to NK News, a Swedish tourist who was on the same tour as King heard the soldier shouting "HA-HA-HA" as he ran over to North Korea.

“It took everybody a second to react and grasp what had actually happened, then we were ordered into and through Freedom House and running back to our military bus," she said, as quoted by NK News.

Valuable propaganda opportunity

While it is not clear how long the North Korean authorities would hold the 23-year-old soldier, Victor Cha, former U.S. official and Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Reuters that the incident could be a valuable propaganda opportunity for North Korea.

"Historically, the North holds these folks for weeks, if not months, for propaganda purposes (especially if this is a U.S. soldier) before a coerced confession and apology,” Cha said.

Closely monitoring the situation

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden had been informed about the incident.

"This is something that the president is watching very closely and will be kept updated," she said, as quoted by Yonhap.

"Resolving this is basically getting to the bottom of exactly what happened, and that is important for us to know. I just don't have more to share," she added.

Top image via.