US EditionNorth Korean civilian crosses heavily fortified DMZ into South
- Late Thursday night, July 4, 2025, an individual from North Korea entered South Korean territory near a shallow stream close to the Military Demarcation Line.
- The man likely planned the defection by choosing an area with shallow water and exposed soil to evade mines and avoid detection.
- South Korean troops detected the individual around 3 a.m., tracked him for 20 hours, and safely guided him to the South’s side while observing no unusual North Korean troop movements.
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the military located the person near the MDL, observed and followed their movements, carried out a standard procedure to take them into custody, and secured the individual.
- This defection highlights ongoing security gaps along the heavily fortified DMZ and adds to the 236 North Korean defectors arriving in South Korea in 2024 amid increasing economic hardship and disillusionment.
46 Articles
46 Articles
North Korean avoids land mines to cross DMZ into South Korea as Seoul softens stance on Pyongyang
Unarmed North Korean crosses land mine-laced DMZ into South Korean custody amid growing criticism of Seoul's diplomatic shift and reports of trash-filled balloon launches from the North.
Omaha World-Herald
St Louis Post-DispatchNorth Korean man crosses into the South
SEOUL, South Korea — An unidentified North Korean man crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas and is in South Korean custody, the South's military said Friday.
The incident took place in the central-west section of the land border, considered one of the most fortified and militarily controlled regions in the world
North Korean crosses border into South Korea
An unidentified North Korean man crossed into South Korea with the assistance of Seoul’s military through a heavily mined land border Thursday. He was taken into custody after the crossing, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that the man was first spotted between 3 a.m. and…
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