North Korean soldier crosses militarised border to defect to South – report

Military guard posts of North Korea, rear, and South Korea, front, are seen in Paju, near the border with North Korea, Sunday, 2 Jan 2022. It’s being reported that a soldier has defected across the eastern side of the border. Photograph: Ahn Young-joon/AP

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.