North Korean Man Defects Across the DMZ

Here is a very rare form of defection, crossing the DMZ to get to South Korea:

A North Korean man was taken into custody by the South Korean military Thursday after crossing the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas, according to the South’s Ministry of National Defense. The unidentified North Korean crossed the Military Demarcation Line — the actual border that divides the peninsula — Thursday evening, the ministry said in a text message to reporters Friday morning.

The message did not specify his motive for crossing. The North Korean was first spotted in a shallow stream in the midwestern part of the border early Thursday using South Korean surveillance equipment, the ministry said in a separate message Friday, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff. South Korea’s military deployed troops to the area and guided the man, who identified himself as a civilian, out of the Demilitarized Zone, the message said. The operation took about 20 hours after the North Korean was first detected, the message added.

Stars & Stripes

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