South Korean soldiers patrol along a barbed wire fence Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, on the South Korean island of Ganghwa, in a April 23, 2020 file photo. ED JONES/AFP/Getty

South Korea took a soldier from the North into custody after the individual crossed the heavily fortified border this week in what is believed to be a defection, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday.

"The military secured one North Korean soldier in the central front Tuesday night and relevant authorities are currently investigating the details," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to the media, according to Yonhap.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s. The last time a North Korean soldier made the daring move was October 2025.

Most go overland to neighboring China first, then enter a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South.

Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, ridden with landmines and monitored by soldiers on both sides.

North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening after arriving in the South.

More than 34,000 North Koreans have escaped the isolated country to the South, according to data from the Unification Ministry.

In 2024, 236 North Koreans arrived in South Korea, with women accounting for 88 percent of the total.

Pyongyang uses harsh words such as "human scum" to describe citizens who escape.

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