Why can North Korean soldiers secretly take photos of the US Secretary of State?

It was not a high risk for North Korean soldiers to approach and take photos of the US secretary of state, as they often do so when South Korean delegations visit the DMZ.

US Secretary of State was secretly photographed by North Korean soldiers.

A North Korean soldier stands outside a window on March 17, holding up a camera to take a photo of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he visits the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), located between the border of South Korea and North Korea.

South Korea and North Korea are technically still at war after the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Observers said it was not a cause for concern that North Korean soldiers were standing so close and taking photos of the US secretary of state. Military and humanitarian talks have been held here for decades without incident. Thousands of tourists venture to the village, known as the last frontier of the Cold War, every year. When they do, soldiers from both North and South Korea keep a close eye on them, according to the Washington Post.

Scott Snyder, a North Korea expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, explained that the photo was taken inside the T-2 building at Panmunjom, which is open to visitors from both North and South Korea on a regular basis. It is the building where many of the armistice negotiations took place and is a frequent stop for visitors to the DMZ.

When South Korean visitors visit the DMZ, North Korean soldiers have a tradition of taking photos for propaganda purposes, and South Korean soldiers may do the same with North Korean delegations. "The last time I visited was last February, and I also witnessed North Korean soldiers taking photos," Snyder said.

Assessing the security risks, Mr. Snyder said: "You have to remember that despite the name of the demilitarized zone, this is one of the most militarized areas on earth. However, the interaction between the two sides in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the DMZ is very formal. The JSA is where North and South Korean soldiers stand face to face.

So, despite the tensions, both sides have established ground rules for daily interactions here for decades. Since photo ops are a regular occurrence, I would say Secretary Tillerson’s visit is as risky as any other visit to the DMZ, and the risk is relatively low, Snyder said.

"Soldiers at the DMZ will immediately notice changes in behavior on the other side. They can identify high-risk times and cancel visits," he added.

According to VNE