Holiday Ayo - The South Korean military captured a North Korean defector who fled Pyongyang by crossing the land border on Friday (4/7). 

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that the North Korean citizen crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the central western part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Thursday (3/7). 

The MDL is a de facto border that runs through the middle of the DMZ, the border region that separates North and South Korea. This area is one of the most heavily mined places in the world. 

“The military identified the person near the MDL, conducted tracking and surveillance, and successfully carried out a standard guidance operation to secure the detainee," the JCS said, as quoted by AFP. 

The Seoul military added that the relevant authorities will further investigate the incident.

North Korean citizens are usually handed over to South Korean intelligence agencies for investigation into their presence in Seoul. 

The arrival of North Korean citizens in South Korea is not uncommon, as it has happened several times, including last May when a wooden boat carrying four people drifted into the waters south of the maritime border.

Last year, another North Korean crossed the de facto border in the Yellow Sea and arrived on Gyodong Island. 

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s. 

Most North Koreans travel overland to China and then into a third country such as Thailand before finally reaching South Korea. 

Defections across the land border, meanwhile, are rare. The number of defections has dropped significantly since 2020 after North Korea closed its borders and reportedly shot anyone fleeing to China to prevent the spread of Covid-19.