An American has been taken into custody by South Korean officials on Tuesday after he was found attempting to swim across the Han River to the North Korea.
Local reports indicate that the unidentified man of Arabic descent, who was reportedly hoping to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un, was found by border patrol officers exhausted on the shores of the historic river in the Gyeonggi Province.
This is reportedly the first time an American citizen has attempted to swim from South Korea to the North. At least three American citizens are currently in the custody of the North Korean government.
The South Korean Defense Ministry has revealed that the man, who is believed to be in his thirties, has been handed over to the relevant authorities.
Since the Korean War in the 1950s, the political line that separates the North and the South has grown tense. Reports indicate that the border between both nations is a highly militarized zone. This has severely restricted the free movement of people. Instances of people crossing the border are quite uncommon. In most reported instances, people have sought to cross from the North to the South, rather than in the opposite direction (i.e. South to North).
Last year, South Korean soldiers were forced to shoot and kill a man who was attempting to cross into North Korea by swimming in the Imjin River.
Since the last cross border reunion in 2010, attempts to negotiate for another one have hit the rocks. Last year, these discussions had reached an advanced stage before the government of the North pulled out allegedly due to hostility from the South.
Earlier in the year, officials from both countries met to negotiate on facilitating a rare reunion for families that have been separated by the conflict between both countries. But a month later, a dispute between both nations that saw an exchange of live-fire put the planned event in jeopardy.
