South Korean crosses armed border in rare defection to North

Search under way after person was detected on eastern side of demilitarised zone separating two countries

The North Korean side of the country's border with South Korea. A South Korean has crossed the armed border in a rare defection to the North. AP

A South Korean has crossed the heavily fortified border in a rare defection to North Korea, South Korea's military said on Sunday.

A search operation was underway after the person was detected at about 9.20pm local time on Saturday on the eastern side of the demilitarised zone separating the two countries, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

"We have confirmed that the person crossed the military demarcation line border at about 10.40pm and defected to the North," the JCS said.

The JCS said while it could not confirm whether the person was alive, it had sent a notice to the North via a military hotline asking for protection.

Crossing the border is illegal in South Korea and came as North Korea carries out strict anti-coronavirus measures since shutting borders in early 2020, although it has not confirmed any infections.

There was a public and political uproar after North Korean troops shot dead a South Korean fisheries official, who had gone missing at sea in September 2020, for which Pyongyang blamed anti-virus rules and apologised.

Two months earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared a national emergency and sealed off the border after a North Korean defector who reportedly had Covid-19 symptoms illegally crossed the border into the North from the South.

The North's prolonged lockdowns and restrictions on inter-provincial movement have pushed the number of North Korean defectors arriving in the South to a record low.

Kim Jong-un - in pictures

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends the eighth conference of military educationists of the Korean People's Army at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang. Korean Central News Agency / AFP

Kim Jong-un attends a military parade marking the ruling party congress at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang in January 2021. KCNA / AP

Kim Jong-un is applauded by a military unit after what North Korea claimed was a test firing of its 'super-large' multiple rocket launcher in November 2019. KCNA / AP

Kim Jong-un rides a horse to climb Mount Paektu in North Korea in October 2019. KCNA / AP

Kim Jong-un and former US president Donald Trump shake hands over the military demarcation line at the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone in June 2019. KCNA / AP

Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing a joint statement in Panmunjom in April 2018. Korea Summit Press Pool / AP

Kim Jong-un inspects a launch drill of the medium and long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location in September 2017. KCNA / AFP

Kim Jong-un smiles with soldiers after inspecting the multiple-rocket launching drill of the women's sub-units under the Korean People's Army Unit 851 at an undisclosed location in North Korea, April 2014. KCNA / AFP

Kim Jong-un talks to former NBA star Dennis Rodman as they watch an exhibition basketball game at an indoor stadium in Pyongyang in January 2014. KCNA / AP

Kim Jong-un inspects a mass parade of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang to mark the 65th anniversary of national foundation day, September 2013. KCNA / AFP

Kim Jong-un visits watch posts of KPA Unit 507 in the Kangwon province of North Korea, June 2013. KCNA / AFP

Kim Jong-un enjoys the ride as he attends the completion ceremony of the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang in July 2012. KCNA / AP

Kim Jong-un is surrounded by members of the Korean Children's Union in Pyongyang in June 2012. KCNA / AFP

Kim Jong-un attends a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang in April 2012. KCNA / AFP

Kim Jong-un aims a gun on an inspection tour of the Sporting Bullet Factory in Pyongyang in February 2012. KCNA / AFP

Kim Jong-un salutes besides the convoy carrying the body of his father and late leader Kim Jong-il at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang in December 2011. KCNA / AFP

Late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il with his son Kim Jong-un on the balcony as they attend a military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the communist nation's ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, October 2010. Kyodo News / AP

Kim Il-sung with his son and chosen successor, Kim Jong-il in November 1986. KCNA / AFP

Cross-border relations soured after denuclearisation negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington stalled after a failed summit in 2019.

South Korea and a US-led UN force are technically still at war with North Korea as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.