North Korean soldier defects to South across border

SEOUL: A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea on Saturday across their heavily fortified land border, which the two sides have begun to demilitarise as relations between the Cold War-era foes warm, the South’s military said.

The rare defection came as the two Koreas push ahead with a process of reconciliation in an effort to ease tensions, despite talks between Pyongyang and Washington on the North’s nuclear weapons programme stalling.

The incident did not trigger any gunfire, unlike last year when a North Korean soldier ran across under a hail of bullets from his own side.

"A North Korean soldier was detected crossing the military demarcation line" by South Korean troops using surveillance equipment, the military Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

"Related agencies plan to investigate him regarding the details of how he came to the South," it said.

The JCS gave no further details, such as the exact location of the defection, the soldier’s name, rank or unit or whether he was carrying a weapon.

The last defection involving North Koreans occurred in May when two civilians aboard a small boat fled to the South across the Yellow Sea.

In November last year, a North Korean soldier drove to the heavily guarded border at speed and ran across under fire from his own comrades.