Seoul, July 18: US officials say an American detained after crossing the border from South Korea into North Korea was a US soldier.

There were no immediate details about how or why the soldier crossed the heavily fortified border or whether the soldier was on duty. Gujarat Man Falls to Death From ‘Trump Wall’ at Mexico Border While Trying to Enter US Illegally.

The officials spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of a public announcement. Jammu and Kashmir: Intruder Trying To Cross Border From Pakistan Side Shot Dead by BSF in Samba Area.

Cases of Americans or South Koreans defecting to North Korea are rare, though more than 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea to avoid political oppression and economic difficulties since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)