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Presumed defector took methodical route through DMZ, military says

Published: 04 Jul. 2025, 15:32

South Korean soldiers patrol along a barbed-wire fence inside the demilitarized zone in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi, near the midwestern front, on July 25, 2022. [YONHAP]

A North Korean man crossed into South Korea on Thursday in what appears to be a carefully planned defection, exploiting gaps in Pyongyang's ongoing construction aimed at severing inter-Korean links within the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that South Korean troops “took custody of one North Korean individual who crossed the military demarcation line [MDL] on the midwestern front late Thursday night.”

The military detected the man in a stream near the MDL — a line marking the boundary between the two Koreas — and tracked him before apprehending him through a controlled operation.

Surveillance systems first picked up the man at around 3 or 4 a.m. Thursday, according to the military.

He waded across a roughly one-meter-deep (3.3-foot-deep) stream that runs between Gyeonggi’s Yeoncheon County and Paju, which serves as a de facto MDL boundary. He then hid in nearby undergrowth, barely moving during daylight hours before continuing south after nightfall.

A South Korean operations team approached within about 100 meters of the man and tried to communicate with him directly.

“Our team called out, ‘We are the Republic of Korea Army. We will guide you safely,’ and proceeded with a guiding operation,” a military official said.

“Around 11 p.m., we escorted him out of the DMZ to a secure location.”

The individual reportedly identified himself as a civilian, not a soldier.

Authorities, including intelligence agencies, have begun additional investigations. But because he complied readily with military instructions, officials believe he likely intended to defect.

Military sources said the crossing was probably premeditated, noting that the man picked an area of the border where North Korea had not yet carried out severance work.

North Korean soldiers carry tools and a sign reading “Blockade” as they move near a guard post along the western front on March 27. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]

Since April last year, North Korea has been busy fortifying several frontline regions — laying land mines, reinforcing tactical roads and erecting unidentified structures resembling anti-tank barriers.

These projects follow North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s orders to sever inter-Korean ties, but the South Korean military believes they also aim to tighten internal controls and prevent defections.

However, such work has generally avoided natural obstacles like streams. This suggests the man calculated that the shallow water and exposed soil would make it easier to evade mines and slip through.

“There are some unconfirmed mines in the area,” a South Korean defense official noted, “but because of the stream’s nature, with exposed earth, avoiding them isn’t particularly difficult.”

If this was indeed an intentional defection, it exposes a glaring hole in North Korea’s border security. During the operation, the South Korean military observed no unusual movements from the North Korean side, indicating Pyongyang’s forces were likely unaware of the crossing and failed to dispatch a pursuit team.

Officials are also watching to see whether widespread public discontent in North Korea played a role. Between August and September last year, three separate defections occurred along the MDL and the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea.

Many of those defectors cited severe economic hardship and growing disillusionment with the North Korean regime.

A quiet stretch of the demilitarized zone along the western front is seen from Paju, South Korea, on May 2, showing barriers North Korea installed on the Gyeongui Line road. [YONHAP]

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG [[email protected]]