Factbox: Site of US national’s crossing into North Korea has history of diplomatic, military drama

News Snapshot:

SEOUL, July 18 (Reuters) - A U.S. national was probably detained after crossing into North Korea on Tuesday during a tour in the “peace village” of Panmunjom, with its cluster of distinctive bright blue buildings and history of defections, tension and murder. Known formally as the Joint Security Area (JSA), in the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), it has been the centre of dramatic diplomatic and military incidents over the years. Most infamously, axe-wielding North Korean soldiers in the DMZ in 1976 murdered two U.S. soldiers who were cutting down a poplar tree to secure a clear view. In 2017,...