Most of the border between the two Koreas is heavily fortified. But at the JSA, the frontier is marked only by a low concrete divider and is relatively easy to cross, despite soldiers on both sides.
The JSA has been closed to tourists since King’s border crossing, and it will likely remain that way for the foreseeable future, Harrison said.
But since the area has an educational value, the decision may be reviewed in future, he said, adding “it’s a constant balance between that value and the risk to the individuals who are in the demilitarised zone”.
“It can never simply be a tourist destination, primarily because of the huge amount of ordnance that still exists across the demilitarised zone since the end of the war,” he said.
When asked whether King had been classified as a defector by either side, Harrison said the UN Command “haven’t categorised Private King as anything but an American soldier”, and added that he would never speak on behalf of North Korea.
“BARGAINING CHIPS”
Pyongyang has a long history of detaining Americans and using them as bargaining chips in bilateral negotiations.
The incident comes as relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nuclear warheads.
Seoul and Washington have ramped up defence cooperation in response, staging joint military exercises with advanced stealth jets and US strategic assets.
Washington sent a nuclear-capable submarine on a port call to South Korea last week, prompting heavy criticism from the North, which claimed it could meet the legal conditions under which Pyongyang would use its nuclear weapons.
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