Media reports: North Korean soldier defects to South Korea

The border between North and South Korea is heavily militarized. Overflows are therefore risky and extremely rare. One North Korean soldier reportedly dared to flee anyway.

A North Korean soldier appears to have managed to cross the military-secured border into South Korea early Tuesday morning. The man fled across the border in the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing military sources. However, he did not make it far.

He was detained by a South Korean guard in Gangwon Province. A spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry confirmed that the military had detained a person believed to be from North Korea. Local media reported that authorities intercepted the man, who was wearing his military uniform, as he walked along a coastal road.

According to Yonhap, the defector is said to be a first sergeant. Further background information is not yet known.

Escape directly across the border is rare.

Earlier this month, a North Korean civilian fled the west coast to the South. Overflows directly across the heavily guarded border are risky and relatively rare. Most North Korean refugees reach South Korea via China or other third countries.

The number of North Korean refugees arriving in South Korea has increased again since last year. According to figures from Seoul's Unification Ministry, a total of 105 North Koreans arrived in the southern neighbor via various routes in the first half of 2024.