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| ▲ This graphic shows the inter-Korean border. (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) N Korean-border crossing
(2nd LD) N. Korean civilian crosses heavily fortified border in presumed defection to S. Korea
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead para; UPDATES throughout with details; ADDS byline)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean civilian crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean land border this week, South Korea's military said Friday, in an apparent move to defect to the South.
South Korean troops secured the man late Thursday night after identifying him in early morning hours around a shallow stream running along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the midwestern part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official briefed reporters.
The man, who identified himself as a civilian, was unarmed and followed instructions from deployed South Korean troops, which guided him to the South's side, the official said on condition of anonymity.
During the around 20-hour operation, the North Korean man mostly remained motionless during the day to apparently avoid being detected and began moving at night before South Korean troops came into contact with him.
The individual has since been transferred to relevant authorities for an investigation.
The military has not detected any unusual signs of North Korean troop activity, the official said, adding the U.S.-led U.N. Command monitoring activities within the DMZ has been notified of the incident.
The two Koreas are separated by the DMZ -- a 4-kilometer-wide buffer zone, which is heavily fortified on both sides.
North Korean defectors usually come to South Korea by crossing the northern border into China, but very few made the journey through the closely-watched inter-Korean border.
Last August, a North Korean soldier defected to South Korea by crossing the MDL in the eastern county of Goseong.
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