A North Korean soldier crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) into the South on Saturday morning, the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced.

The announcement of the apparent defection comes a day after the two Koreas completed the destruction of 20 guard posts (GPs) in the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

“The military today (December 1, Saturday) detected one North Korean soldier —who crossed the MDL on the eastern front in Gangwon province into the South — at 0756 local time,” the JCS said in a written statement, adding that the soldier was spotted by “surveillance equipment.”

“We located the soldier,