North Korea soldier defects to South

A North Korean soldier has defected to South Korea at the heavily protected Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), South Korea's military says. The soldier was hit in the arm and shoulder by his own military as he crossed to the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area in the village of Panmunjom.

The defector has been taken to the hospital. About 1,000 people from the North flee to the South each year - but very few defect via the DMZ. This is the fourth defection by a North Korean soldier via the DMZ - one of the world's most heavily guarded strips of land - in the last three years.

According to a statement from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the soldier made it across by passing through the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom, which is the only portion of the Demilitarised Zone where both forces stand face-to-face.

UCJ, UNILORIN.