The man who crossed the border between South and North Korea on Tuesday and was subsequently arrested by North Korean authorities is an active-duty US soldier. “He actually he was deported back to the United States due to disciplinary action,” says Breuker, a professor of Korean studies at Leiden University. So he had done something wrong. We don’t know exactly what he did.”
“He casually joined a group of tourists and then crossed the border into North Korea”
But he managed to escape that expulsion. ‘He then casually joined a group of tourists and then crossed the border into North Korea. Perhaps because he wanted to avoid conviction, but this is not yet clear ».
Bad news for the United States
It sounds like an odd story, but we’ve yet to take it seriously, says Breuker. “Because entering that country without applying for a visa is not allowed. And most of the time things don’t end well for foreigners who don’t follow North Korean law.”
Either way, this is bad news for the US. He is a US citizen and an active military officer. Even though he’s been punished in the military, it’s still up to the United States to bring him back. North Korea will exploit it. This could turn into a public relations nightmare.’
Long prison sentence
Breuker suspects the man could receive a lengthy prison sentence. And then he starts the bargaining game with America. Then North Korea will want to return it to excellent terms. In any case, we will hear about it.’
What if the man fled to the North Korean regime for ideological reasons? “It could always be done,” says Breuker. “Although it doesn’t happen often. The last time an American went to North Korea for this reason was in 1965.”