SEOUL, South Korea — A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea across the rivals’ heavily fortified border on Sunday, South Korea’s military said.

The military took the custody of the soldier who crossed the central portion of the land border, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It said the soldier expressed a desire to resettle in South Korea.

A soldier stands at a North Korean military guard post flying a national flag, seen from Paju, South Korea in June 2024. AP

It was the first reported defection by a North Korean soldier since a North Korean staff sergeant fled to South Korea via the border’s eastern section in August 2024.

Despite the two border crossings, it isn’t common for North Koreans to defect via the land border.

Unlike its official name, th

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