The US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell, publicly apologised for the rape of a South Korean woman by a US soldier.
The soldier was handed over to South Korean authorities by the US Second Infantry Divsion, deployed by the border with North Korea.
The US military have introduced a curfew on all its soldiers deployed in the country for one month in response to the incident.
In a statement Campbell said,
"I'd like to personally and on behalf of the United States government take this opportunity to apologise to the Korean people for the tragic and inexcusable rape."
The solider is alleged to have raped the South Korean woman near the US army camp in Dongducheon.
South Korean police report that the soldier used scissors, a knife, a pen and a cigarette lighter during the attack.
The victim remains in hospital.
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