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North Korean Soldier Defects Across Heavily Fortified DMZ Border
19 Oct
Summary
- North Korean soldier defected to South Korea on Sunday
- Crossed the central portion of the heavily fortified DMZ border
- Expressed desire to resettle in South Korea
On Sunday, a North Korean soldier defected to South Korea by crossing the heavily fortified border between the two rival nations. The soldier crossed the central portion of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 248-kilometer (155-mile) long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) wide strip of land that separates the two countries.
The South Korean military took custody of the defector, who expressed a desire to resettle in South Korea. This marks the first reported defection by a North Korean soldier since August 2024, when a North Korean staff sergeant fled to the South via the border's eastern section.
Despite the two recent border crossings, it is not common for North Koreans to defect through the land border. The DMZ is heavily fortified, with landmines, tank traps, barbed wire fences, and combat troops guarding the area. In 2017, when a fleeing North Korean soldier sprinted across the border, North Korean soldiers fired about 40 rounds before South Korean troops could drag the wounded soldier to safety.
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Most of the approximately 34,000 North Koreans who have fled to South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War came via China, which shares a long, porous border with North Korea.
