North Korean man crosses the heavily fortified border to South Korea
The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a "guiding operation" before taking the person into custody Thursday night.
It said authorities plan to investigate the border crossing and did not immediately say whether they view the incident as a defection attempt.
The Joint Chiefs said it notified the U.S.-led United Nations Command about the incident and had not detected any immediate signs of unusual military activity by the North.
According to the Joint Chiefs, a South Korean military team approached the unarmed North Korean man after detecting him and, after identifying themselves as South Korean troops, guided him safely out of the mine-strewn Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas.
Border tensions have flared in recent months as the two Koreas traded Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea sending thousands of trash-filled balloons toward the South and South Korea blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda through loudspeakers.
Since taking office last month, South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae Myung has made efforts to rebuild trust with North Korea, halting the frontline loudspeaker broadcasts and moving to ban activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border.
In April, South Korean troops fired warning shots to repel about 10 North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the military demarcation line. The South's military said the soldiers returned to North Korean territory without incident and that the North didn't return fire.
In June last year, North Korean troops crossed the border three times, prompting South Korea to fire warning shots. Experts suggested these crossings may have been accidental, occurring as North Korean troops added anti-tank barriers, planted mines and carried out other work to bolster border defenses amid escalating tensions between the Koreas.
Diplomacy between the war-divided Koreas has derailed since the collapse of denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang in 2019, which prompted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to accelerate the expansion of his military nuclear program and threaten nuclear conflict toward Washington and Seoul. South Korea's previous conservative government responded by strengthening its combined military exercises with the United States and Japan, which the North condemned as invasion rehearsals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Russia could soon get up to 30,000 more North Korean troops, reports say
North Korea could send up to 30,000 additional troops to Russia over the coming months to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine, media reports citing Ukrainian intelligence officials and Western security sources have said. If confirmed, this would almost triple the total number of North Korean soldiers directly supporting Russia after an estimated 14,000 were sent last year to repel Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region. The move would also mark an intensification of the more than 3-year-old conflict that is now stretching across Europe and Asia, highlighting the speed at which Pyongyang's military ties with Moscow have deepened since the two signed a mutual defense treaty just over a year ago. 'There is a great possibility' the additional North Korean troops will be engaged in combat in parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine 'to strengthen the Russian contingent, including during the large-scale offensive operations,' CNN cited an Ukrainian intelligence assessment as saying . It also noted that the Defense Ministry in Moscow would be capable of providing 'needed equipment, weapons and ammunition' to these soldiers with the aim of 'further integration to Russian combat units.' CNN also pointed to satellite imagery provided by the Open Source Centre showing what appear to be Ilyushin-76 transport planes taxiing at North Korea's Sunan Airport in Pyongyang on June 4. This is the same aircraft type that was used in last year's deployment. Other signs of preparations include the arrival of a ship linked to last year's deployments at a Russian port, as well as indications that other Russian military aircraft are being refitted to carry personnel. The Ukrainian intelligence assessment, also reported by NHK , comes after Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu announced in mid-June that Pyongyang would send 1,000 combat engineers and 5,000 military builders to help rebuild Russia's Kursk region. His remarks followed talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, with Shoigu saying that the meeting was meant to carry out "special instructions" from Russian President Vladimir Putin. A few weeks later, in late June, North Korean state-run media broadcast images showing Kim honoring the flag-draped coffins of soldiers killed fighting Ukraine. Pyongyang only confirmed in April that it had deployed troops to Russia while admitting that soldiers had been killed in combat. It also declared that combat operations had concluded. Around 4,000 North Korean soldiers are estimated to have been killed or injured while helping Russia in Kursk. But Pyongyang's support for Russia so far has not only included troops, but also some tens of thousands of shipping containers suspected of carrying artillery rounds, mobile anti-air missiles and anti-tank missiles, among other weapons. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a state reception in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. | Sputnik / via REUTERS Defense experts, however, argue that an even greater concern for countries in both Europe and Asia should be the extent to which the allies are exchanging military technology, and how this cooperation could revitalize and ultimately help modernize Pyongyang's defense-industrial base. For instance, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov was recently quoted by The Kyiv Independent news website as saying that North Korea is already using the Pantsir-S1 air-defense system provided by Russia to defend its capital, adding that Pyongyang is "currently significantly increasing its military power" through direct cooperation with Moscow. Russia has reportedly helped improve its KN-23 ballistic missiles, and according to U.S. officials also provided advanced electronic warfare systems to Pyongyang. 'The military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is developing at an astonishing speed," former Ukrainian Ambassador to Tokyo Sergiy Korsunsky told the Japan Times. This increasingly close security relationship is a matter of 'serious concern' for U.S. Indo-Pacific allies and partners, particularly Japan and South Korea, he said, noting that while North Korea has been building additional weapon production facilities the Russians have been making roads and bridges to facilitate the two-way flow of military systems and supplies. The former diplomat also said he has 'no doubt' that Russian drone and hypersonic missile technologies have been made available to Pyongyang in exchange for troops, munitions and ballistic missiles. Korsunsky also expressed concern about the impact the anticipated North Korean troop surge could have should these forces be deployed on the battlefield. 'Such an increase in manpower would be a dangerous development and could pose a clear and present danger to Ukraine,' he said. 'This conflict is already increasing the chances of major conflict in Europe, all the while affecting the balance of power in East Asia,' he added.
The Mainichi
4 hours ago
- The Mainichi
American bombs in Iran also reverberate in China and North Korea
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- President Donald Trump campaigned on keeping the United States out of foreign wars, but it didn't take long to convince him to come to the direct aid of Israel, hitting Iranian nuclear targets with bunker-buster bombs dropped by B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a submarine. Beyond the attack's immediate impact on helping bring the 12-day war to a close, experts say Trump's decision to use force against another country also will certainly be reverberating in the Asia-Pacific, Washington's priority theater. "Trump's strikes on Iran show that he's not afraid to use military force -- this would send a clear message to North Korea, and even to China and Russia, about Trump's style," said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security based in Seoul, South Korea. "Before the strikes, Pyongyang and Beijing might have assumed that Trump is risk averse, particularly based on his behavior his first presidency despite some tough talk," Kim said. China, North Korea and Russia all condemn US strike Ten days into the war between Israel and Iran, Trump made the risky decision to step in, hitting three nuclear sites with American firepower on June 22 in a bid to destroy the country's nuclear program at a time while negotiations between Washington and Tehran were still ongoing. The attacks prompted a pro forma Iranian retaliatory strike the following day on a U.S. base in nearby Qatar, which caused no casualties, and both Iran and Israel then agreed to a ceasefire on June 24. North Korea, China and Russia all were quick to condemn the American attack, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling it "unprovoked aggression," China's Foreign Ministry saying it violated international law and "exacerbated tensions in the Middle East," and North Korea's Foreign Ministry maintaining it "trampled down the territorial integrity and security interests of a sovereign state." While the strikes were a clear tactical success, the jury is still out on whether they will have a more broad strategic benefit to Washington's goals in the Middle East or convince Iran it needs to work harder than ever to develop a nuclear deterrent, possibly pulling the U.S. back into a longer-term conflict. US allies could see attack as positive sign for deterrence If the attack remains a one-off strike, U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific region likely will see the decision to become involved as a positive sign from Trump's administration, said Euan Graham, a senior defense analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. "The U.S. strike on Iran will be regarded as net plus by Pacific allies if it is seen to reinforce red lines, restore deterrence and is of limited duration, so as not to pull the administration off-course from its stated priorities in the Indo-Pacific," he said. "China will take note that Trump is prepared to use force, at least opportunistically." In China, many who have seen Trump as having a "no-war mentality" will reassess that in the wake of the attacks, which were partially aimed at forcing Iran's hand in nuclear program negotiations, said Zhao Minghao, an international relations professor at China's Fudan University in Shanghai. "The way the U.S. used power with its air attacks against Iran is something China needs to pay attention to," he said. "How Trump used power to force negotiations has a significance for how China and the U.S. will interact in the future." But, he said, Washington should not think it can employ the same strategy with Beijing. "If a conflict breaks out between China and the U.S., it may be difficult for the U.S. to withdraw as soon as possible, let alone withdraw unscathed," he said. China and North Korea present different challenges Indeed, China and North Korea present very different challenges than Iran. First and foremost, both already have nuclear weapons, raising the stakes of possible retaliation considerably in the event of any attack. There also is no Asian equivalent of Israel, whose relentless attacks on Iranian missile defenses in the opening days of the war paved the way for the B-2 bombers to fly in and out without a shot being fired at them. Still, the possibility of the U.S. becoming involved in a conflict involving either China or North Korea is a very real one, and Beijing and Pyongyang will almost certainly try to assess what the notoriously unpredictable Trump would do. North Korea will likely be "quite alarmed" at what Israel, with a relatively small but high-quality force, has been able to achieve over Iran, said Joseph Dempsey, a defense expert with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. At the same time, it likely will be seen internally as justification for its own nuclear weapons program, "If Iran did have deployable nuclear weapons would this have occurred?" Dempsey said. "Probably not." The U.S. decision to attack while still in talks with Iran will also not go unnoticed, said Hong Min, a senior analyst at South Korea's Institute for National Unification. "North Korea may conclude that dialogue, if done carelessly, could backfire by giving the United States a pretext for possible aggression," he said. "Instead of provoking the Trump administration, North Korea is more likely to take an even more passive stance toward negotiations with Washington, instead focusing on strengthening its internal military buildup and pursuing closer ties with Russia, narrowing the prospects for future talks," he said. China and Taiwan will draw lessons China will look at the attacks through the visor of Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island off its coast that China claims as its own territory and President Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking by force. The U.S. supplies Taiwan with weapons and is one of its most important allies, though Washington's official policy on whether it would come to Taiwan's aid in the case of a conflict with China is known as "strategic ambiguity," meaning not committing to how it would respond. Militarily, the strike on Iran raises the question of whether the U.S. might show less restraint than has been expected by China in its response and hit targets on the Chinese mainland in the event of an invasion of Taiwan, said Drew Thompson, senior fellow with the Singapore-based think tank RSIS Rajaratnam School of International Studies. It will also certainly underscore for Beijing the "difficulty of predicting Trump's actions," he said. "The U.S. airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities caught many by surprise," Thompson said. "I think it demonstrated a tolerance and acceptance of risk in the Trump administration that is perhaps surprising." It also gives rise to a concern that Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, who in recent speeches has increased warnings about the threat from China, may be further emboldened in his rhetoric, said Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based foreign policy think tank Defense Priorities. Already, Lai's words have prompted China to accuse him of pursuing Taiwanese independence, which is a red line for Beijing. Goldstein said he worried Taiwan may try to take advantage of the American "use of force against Iran to increase its deterrent situation versus the mainland." "President Lai's series of recent speeches appear almost designed to set up a new cross-strait crisis, perhaps in the hopes of building more support in Washington and elsewhere around the Pacific," said Goldstein, who also is director of the China Initiative at Brown University's Watson Institute. "I think that is an exceedingly risky gambit, to put it mildly," he said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Stalking at All-Time High: Abuse of Electronic Devices Must Be Ended Quickly
With advances in digital technology, stalkers' methods have become more sophisticated. Stronger measures, including legal reforms, will be needed to ensure the safety of victims and their peace of mind. Last year, there was a record high in stalking cases detected and investigated by law enforcement as violations of the Anti-Stalking Law, reaching a total of 1,341 cases. There were also a record 2,415 restraining orders issued, such as to stop individuals from approaching a victim's home. The Anti-Stalking Law was enacted in 2000 after a female university student was murdered in Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture. The police, who in principle did not intervene in civil matters before the new law, began to actively address disputes between family members and between men and women. Thanks to this change in approach, it appears that more cases are being detected and investigated, but there are still cases in which the police are too slow to respond. In April, a woman in Kawasaki who had told the Kanagawa prefectural police that she was being stalked by her former boyfriend was found dead. This can only be described as a tragedy. When victims' complaints are not taken seriously, there can be no safety. The police must become more aware of this fact. They must not take any reports lightly, and it is imporant for them to carry out all necessary measures. There are an increasing number of cases in which GPS devices and tracking tags, meant to help find lost items, have been used to locate victims. Last year, there were 883 cases of people consulting the police about stalking, up by 30% from the previous year. Of these cases, 370 involved tracking tags, nearly twice the previous year's figure. What is more, people with a history of committing domestic violence have mailed the tags to the old addresses of exes or spouses from whom they are separated. This allows them to discover where the victim is living now, as mail is forwarded to their new address. The law was revised in 2021 to prohibit the placement of GPS devices on a person's vehicle or in their personal belongings without permission. However, the tags themselves do not transmit location information and are therefore not subject to the law. When their whereabouts are discovered, victims feel significant fear and anxiety. If stalkers are allowed to escalate in this manner, it could lead to serious incidents. The government needs to speed up legal revisions so that it can respond to changing times, including developments in electronic devices. The police began a program last year to confirm the current status of everyone who has received a restraining order, by phone call or in person. They have already contacted nearly 60% of these individuals. The police say that when these individuals still feel a strong obsession, they urge the victim to exercise caution. To prevent harm before it occurs, it is essential that measures target stalkers. The police should consistently implement these measures while also making sure to protect victims. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 5, 2025)
