North Korean soldier crosses militarised border to defect to South – report
South Korean military says it is investigating but can’t confirm the person’s ‘exact motivations and goals’A North Korean has defected to South Korea by crossing the militarised border in the eastern part of the Korean peninsula, with Yonhap news agency reporting that the defector is a soldier.Seoul’s military said on Tuesday it had picked up “one suspected North Korean individual on the eastern front and handed them over to the relevant authorities”. Yonhap news agency reported that the person was a staff sergeant. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/20/north-korea-soldier-defects-south-border-dmz
A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea by crossing the militarized border in the eastern part of the Korean peninsula. This is the second defection in two weeks, amidst tense cross-border relations. North Korean defectors usually flee through China but this one walked along the road by the waterfront. Defections significantly dropped in 2020 due to border closures, but rose after controls eased in 2023. The increase saw more elite diplomats and students seeking escape to South Korea.