N.Korean Soldier Defects Across DMZ

A North Korean soldier crossed the military demarcation line to defect to South Korea on Thursday morning.

The soldier was spotted by South Korean guards at the outpost of a frontline Army division in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province at around 10 a.m., according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff here.

He was taken into custody. A military source, the soldier is a 20-year-old sergeant from an army brigade near the border. When he was spotted, he was in uniform and unarmed.

A military spokesman here said he looked "extremely malnourished."

"We've moved him to another location and have since been questioning him to find out what motivated him," a JCS officer said. "There has been no sign of any unusual military movements in the North but we've stepped up vigilance."

The last time a soldier crossed the DMZ to defect was on June 15 last year.

Seo Wook at JCS headquarters said there are propaganda loudspeakers near the place where the soldier defected.

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