US soldier's border crossing raises prospects for direct engagement between US, N. Korea

South Korean soldiers are on guard at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, March 3. Yonhap

A U.S. soldier's detention in North Korea this week is raising cautious expectations for direct diplomatic reengagement between Washington and Pyongyang as bilateral ties have remained in the freezer amid the recalcitrant regime's dogged pursuit of nuclear armament.

The soldier, identified as Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King on rotational duty in Korea, "willfully" crossed the military demarcation line into the North during a tour to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas on Tuesday, according to U.S. officials.

The incident came as tensions have run high due to North Korea's continued weapons tests, including a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile launch earlier this month and two short-range ballistic missile launches Wednesday morning.

Analysts said the border crossing could create an opening for dialogue between the two sides, though the possibility remains that bilateral relations could further deteriorate should Pyongyang use the incident for propaganda purposes.

"How things will pan out may hinge on North Korea's will or its future course of action," Nam Chang-hee, professor of international politics at Inha University, said.

"Should the North use the incident as a channel to reengage and cooperate over the issue, Washington would take it as a very amicable gesture. But should it use the case with ill intentions, this would be an addition of a fresh irritant in the bilateral relations," he added.

U.S. State Department Press Secretary Matthew Miller indicated Washington has reached out to Pyongyang for talks between the defense authorities over the border-crossing issue.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller answers questions about a American solider detained in North Korea after he willfully crossed the border from South Korea during a news briefing at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap

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"It is our understanding that the Pentagon has reached out to their counterparts in the DPRK," Miller told a daily press briefing, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "I will just say that, as always, the safety and security of any American overseas remains the top priority."

The U.S.-led U.N. Command, which oversees activities in the DMZ, has said it is working with North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident, indicating talks between the two sides are in progress.

Direct diplomatic dialogue between the U.S. and the North has been stalled since the two countries held working-level nuclear talks in Sweden in October 2019 in the wake of the bilateral no-deal summit in Hanoi in February that year.

The U.S. has repeatedly said it harbors no hostile intentions toward the North and remains open to dialogue with the North anytime, anywhere without preconditions.

It remains to be seen whether the intransigent regime would be cooperative in addressing the issue involving the U.S. troop at a time of heightened tensions, particularly when Washington confirmed he has "willfully on his own volition" crossed the border.

Tensions have risen as Pyongyang doubled down on its weapons programs, leading Seoul and Washington to step up their deterrence through such efforts as the port visit of a U.S. strategic nuclear-capable submarine and the inaugural gathering of the allies' Nuclear Consultative Group this week.

Some observers raised the possibility that Washington could consider sending a high-profile former and current official to secure the release of the U.S. service member as it did in past cases.

In May 2018, three Americans ― Kim Hak-song, Tony Kim and Kim Dong-chul ― were released from detention after a meeting between then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Then U.S. President Bill Clinton also visited the North in 2009 to free two female American journalists detained in the country.

While thousands of North Koreans have defected to the South in pursuit of a better life, it is rare for South Korean and U.S. citizens to cross the inter-Korean border into the North.

A prominent case involved Joseph T. White, an American soldier who crossed the border with an M16 rifle after his night patrol in 1982. White died three years later after drowning in the Chongchon river, North Korean officials said in a letter sent to White's family. (Yonhap)