A North Korean soldier crossed the central section of the rivals’ heavily fortified border on Sunday and was taken into custody, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The soldier expressed a desire to resettle in the South. It is the first reported defection by a North Korean soldier since a staff sergeant fled via the border’s eastern section in August 2024. Such crossings are rare along the mined, barbed-wire DMZ, where a 2017 escape drew about 40 shots, and most defectors instead pass through China.

Prepared by Rachel Morgan and reviewed by editorial team.