SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean authorities were questioning a suspected North Korean resident who crossed into the South on Thursday, according to the South Korean military.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff informed reporters via text message that South Korean soldiers had apprehended an unidentified individual believed to be from North Korea and had handed them over to the appropriate authorities for questioning.
Details on how the individual crossed the border, their point of entry, and whether the crossing was an attempt to defect remain unclear due to the ongoing investigation.
The report follows information from South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, which, citing anonymous military sources, indicated that the individual crossed an estuary where the Han River meets the Yellow Sea and was intercepted by South Korean troops on the western border island of Gyodong.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik confirmed the investigation during a parliamentary session but did not provide additional details. The National Intelligence Service, which is handling the investigation, also refrained from offering further information beyond the military’s announcement.
Tensions are currently high between North and South Korea, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un escalating weapons development amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and issuing threats of nuclear conflict with Washington and Seoul. In response, South Korea, the United States, and Japan have been intensifying joint military exercises and refining their nuclear deterrence strategies.
As of Thursday evening, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported no unusual military activity from the North.
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