Published on 25/06/2026 - 10:23 GMT+2•Updated 10:33

A North Korean soldier suspected of defecting reportedly crossed the Korean demilitarised zone into South Korea on Tuesday, where they were taken into custody.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the military had "secured custody of one North Korean soldier in the central front Tuesday night and relevant authorities are currently investigating the details," Yonhap news agency reported.

The demilitarised zone is heavily fortified with barbed wire, land mines and extensive surveillance, making it one of the world's most tightly secured borders.

According to data from South Korea's Ministry of Unification, more than 34,000 North Koreans, including 899 military personnel, have defected to the South since its records began in 1998.

In 2025, 223 North Koreans defected, per the ministry. Around 89% of those defectors were women, it says.

North Korea's 26 million-strong population lives largely in isolation from the rest of the world, with many suffering from poverty and food shortages. North Korea's isolation is often linked to the nation's guiding principle of "Juche," or self-reliance, the idea that it should be politically independent and economically and militarily self-sufficient.

Despite this, North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, who took power following the death of his father Kim Jong Il in 2011, has sought to build close ties with Moscow and Beijing in recent years.