"The soldier has been investigated by relevant agencies," the JCS said, without providing further details.
But he was reportedly found to have expressed an intention to defect.
The last time a North Korean soldier crossed the heavily fortified border to defect was in October last year. That followed two separate defections by North Korean men in July, bringing the total number of North Korean defectors since President Lee Jae Myung took office to four.
By the end of 2023, a total of 34,078 North Koreans — 9,542 men and 24,536 women — had escaped to the South.
The number of defection cases has recently shown signs of a slight uptick, with 43 defectors arriving in the first quarter of last year after a sharp decline during the coronavirus pandemic, when North Korea closed its borders to the outside world.
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