A North Korean defected to South Korea on Thursday by crossing “neutral waters” between the two Koreas, multiple military sources said.

The individual crossed the neutral zone of the Han River estuary located west of the inter-Korean land border and arrived at South Korea’s Gyodong Island off the west coast early Thursday and expressed intent to defect, according to the sources.

A military source said the individual arrived on the island on foot when the tides ebbed and added that two defectors had been initially spotted, raising the possibility that one of them may have failed to cross the border.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said an investigation was under way by relevant authorities when asked about the defection during a session of the parliamentary defense committee.

Shin called the defection a “successful operation,” noting that South Korean authorities had tracked the defector from the point of departure.

In a notice to reporters, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said relevant authorities are investiga
ting the details, including how the defection took place.

It did not provide further details but said no significant movements by the North Korean military have been detected.

Thursday’s defection came around 10 months after a group of North Koreans, comprising three women and one man, crossed the eastern maritime inter-Korean border on a wooden boat in October 2023.

The inflow of North Korean defectors has continued amid chronic food shortages and harsh political oppression in the North. In the first half of the year, the number of North Korean defectors arriving in the South reached 105, slightly up from 99 the previous year.

Source : Yonhap News Agency