Two armed North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean border last week while pursuing a defector who had fled south across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), Seoul’s defense ministry confirmed to NK News on Friday.

The defection occurred on Oct. 19 along the central section of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), where South Korean forces “took custody of a North Korean soldier,” marking the first known military defection since President Lee Jae-myung took office in June.

“The military identified the individual near the MDL and guided him to safety through standard operational procedures,” the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said