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North Korean soldier crosses DMZ, defects to South: Seoul
Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the 1950-53 war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty
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A North Korean soldier was taken into custody by the South after he voluntarily crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas on Sunday, Seoul’s military said.
The soldier was seeking to “defect to the South,” a defence ministry official said.
Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South.
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Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, ridden with landmines and monitored by soldiers on both sides.
Island offers North Korean defectors a glimpse of home
Island offers North Korean defectors a glimpse of home
“Our military secured the custody of one North Korean soldier who crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) in the central front on Sunday,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
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