Update (June 26) Sentence added for clarity of June 18 defection: “The ROK JCS later confirmed to NK News that this man was a civilian and not a North Korean soldier.”

A North Korean soldier defected across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) – the heavily fortified border separating North and South Korea – late on Friday evening, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The crossing is the third reported border defection in quick succession, with one North Korean military personnel and one civilian having crossed the North-South dividing line separately on June 13 and June 18.

In a statement