Travis King crossing puts North Korea border tours under scrutiny

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Private Travis T. King (wearing a black shirt and black cap) is seen in this picture taken during a tour of the tightly controlled Joint Security Area (JSA) on the border between the two Koreas, at the truce village of Panmunjom, South Korea, July 18, 2023. Sarah Leslie/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - Tourists should expect far stricter supervision if visits to the border between North and South Korea resume, analysts said, after U.S. soldier Travis King used an organised tour to get close enough to dash across to North Korea last week.

The U.S. Army private joined a tour party visiting the so-called truce village of Panmunjom on July 18, a day after he was supposed to have returned to the U.S. to face disciplinary action over charges brought while serving in South Korea.