SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – July 5, 2025:
South Korea’s military said Friday that an unidentified North Korean man crossed the heavily fortified land border between the two Koreas and was taken into South Korean custody late Thursday night.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the military detected the man near the central-west section of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), tracked his movements, and carried out a “guiding operation” to safely escort him through the mine-laden area.

The man was reportedly unarmed, and South Korean soldiers identified themselves before leading him out of the DMZ. The military notified the U.S.-led United Nations Command about the crossing and said there were no immediate signs of unusual military activity by North Korea.

Authorities said they plan to investigate the man’s motives, but did not immediately confirm whether the crossing was a defection attempt.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In recent months, North and South Korea have resumed Cold War-style psychological warfare. North Korea has sent thousands of trash-filled balloons into the South, while South Korea has used loudspeakers to blast anti-regime propaganda back across the border.

Relations have been further strained by North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Just days earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to “unconditionally support” Russia, and was seen overseeing air force drills while urging stepped-up war preparations.

Since taking office last month, South Korea’s new liberal President Lee Jae Myung has attempted to ease tensions by halting loudspeaker broadcasts and moving to ban anti-Pyongyang balloon launches by activists.

Still, the border remains volatile. In April, South Korean troops fired warning shots to repel about 10 North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the military demarcation line before retreating. South Korean authorities said those incidents appeared accidental, tied to North Korea’s efforts to fortify its border, including laying mines and building anti-tank barriers.

Last year, there were three separate North Korean crossings in June, all of which were similarly resolved without casualties.

Diplomatic relations have stalled since the collapse of denuclearisation talks between Washington and Pyongyang in 2019. Since then, North Korea has accelerated its nuclear weapons programme and issued nuclear threats against both the United States and South Korea.

South Korea’s previous conservative administration responded by expanding joint military exercises with the U.S. and Japan, which Pyongyang denounced as invasion rehearsals.

Friday’s border crossing underscores the fragile security along the world’s most heavily armed frontier, as the region grapples with escalating military postures and diplomatic deadlock.

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