North Korean soldier defects to the South: Military

A North Korean soldier defected to the South early Tuesday, Seoul's military confirmed.

A loudspeaker broadcast is blasted from the South Korean military’s guard post in Paju, Gyeonggi, at the inter-Korean border on July 21. [NEW1]

A North Korean soldier defected to the South early Tuesday, Seoul's military confirmed.

The defector — said to be in his 20s — crossed over the military demarcation line (MDL) to Goseong, Gangwon, where the South Korean Army's 22nd Infantry Division is located, and revealed his intention to defect, the military said Tuesday.

South Korea's military tracked and monitored the North Korean soldier as he crossed the MDL from the North, according to a military official. The North Korean soldier is said to be a sergeant.

Military authorities handed over the defector to the relevant agencies currently investigating the defection process and intentions.

The military said the 22nd Infantry Division began detecting unusual movement north of the MDL late Monday.

When the person crossed the MDL, the South Korean soldiers helped to guide him. He was said to have complied with the military's instructions and expressed his intention to defect during this first communication.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported no unusual movements from the North Korean military so far.

This defection comes 12 days after a North Korean resident crossed the neutral waters of the Han River estuary to the South on Aug. 8.

The location where Tuesday’s defection took place is believed to be an open area next to the east coast Donghae Line, where North Korean troops have been laying land mines.

This comes amid reports since earlier this year that North Korea has deployed troops to buffer zones near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) to lay mines and create a barren border in an apparent attempt to prevent defectors from crossing to the South.

The South military said that North Korean soldiers had been deployed to lay mines without proper safety equipment, resulting in several casualties.

The 22nd Infantry Division headquarters is an area that North Korea keeps a close watch on as defections have occurred there several times in the past, according to a military official.

This includes defections through Goseong in November 2020, when a North Korean scaled barbed wire at the Gangwon border, and February 2021, when a defector wearing a diving suit and a set of fins crossed the border by sea.

The latest defection comes after South Korea resumed full-scale anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts at the inter-Korean border on July 21. The broadcasts had been halted in 2018 amid a détente on the Korean Peninsula.

The decision comes after North Korea’s sending of multiple rounds of trash-laden balloons into the South in recent months.

Seoul officials pointed out that loudspeaker broadcasts, which criticize leader Kim Jong-un and reach out to North Korean people, could contribute to a decline in the North Korean military’s morale.

A Unification Ministry official told reporters Tuesday that North Korean soldiers generally defect to the South “on foot or by swimming.”

The official added, “If this number becomes frequent, it could indirectly indicate the overall situation for North Korean soldiers working in the border area regarding the military's discipline and surveillance system.”

Update, Aug. 20 : More details on the defection added, including the role played by South Korea's 22nd Infantry Division.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]