North Korean Soldier Crosses Border, South Takes Defector Into Custody After 1st Such Case Since October 2025
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 24
North Korean Soldier Crosses Border, South Takes Defector Into Custody After 1st Such Case Since October 2025
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jun 24
Summary
South Korea's military said it secured a North Korean soldier on the central front Tuesday night after the individual crossed the fortified land border in a suspected defection.
Joint Chiefs of Staff said authorities are investigating the case; North Koreans who reach the South are typically transferred to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening.
Land-border defections are rare because the frontier is heavily guarded, forested and strewn with landmines, with most escapees instead traveling through China and a third country such as Thailand.
More than 34,000 North Koreans have reached the South since the Korean War division, including 236 arrivals in 2024, when women accounted for 88% of the total.