The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a “guiding operation” before taking the person into custody Thursday night.

A North Korean civilian crossed the military border in the central-western frontline area between Yeoncheon and Paju, Gyeonggi Province, late on July 3 and was taken into custody by the South Korean military,

A North Korean civilian was taken into custody by South Korean forces early Thursday after making a rare defection across the heavily militarized Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the central-western front line between Yeoncheon and Paju in Gyeonggi Province,