South Korean soliders have arrested a US citizen who tried to swim to North Korea through the Han River to meet Kim Jong-un.
The man who was reported to be in his late 20s or early 30s and of Arabic descent, was found by border patrols lying by the southern bank of the Han River clearly exhausted, states a South Korean government source cited by Yonhap news agency.
With the two nations still at war, crossing the border between the North and the South is extremely dangerous. Several people who have succeeded in crossing the border were detained and given a harsh sentence by the North Korean government.
Time recounts what happened to those people who have crossed the border, here is an excerpt from that article:
“In September, South Korean troops shot dead a compatriot trying to swim to the North. In 1996, a naked and apparently drunk American crossed a river into North Korea from neighboring China on a dare. He was detained for three months on espionage charges before then New Mexico Congressman Bill Richardson secured his release during a visit to Pyongyang.
Three U.S. citizens — Kenneth Bae, Matthew Miller and Jeffrey Fowle — are currently in North Korean detention. Miller was sentenced to six years’ hard labor on Sunday for ‘hostile’ acts against the regime after allegedly tearing up his tourist visa at immigration in May.”
The man who remains unnamed is still in the custody of South Korean police. He was reportedly caught by the marines midnight on Tuesday as he rested on the shores.
