S. Korean military captures N. Korean who crosses armed border in potential defection

File photo shows a North Korean guard post over a South Korean military fence from the border city of Paju. - AFP

SEOUL (Reuters): South Korea's military said on Tuesday (Feb 16) it had captured a North Korean individual who crossed the heavily fortified border between the two countries in a rare potential defection amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The person was found on Tuesday morning near a checkpoint on the eastern side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the rival Koreas, prompting an urgent search operation, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.