Person spotted crossing DMZ likely previous defector from N. Korea, South Korea says

Visitors walk past a military fence decorated with ribbons wishing for peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula at the Imjingak peace park near the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas in Paju on January 1, 2022. - AFP

SEOUL, Jan 3 (Reuters): The person observed crossing the heavily fortified border from South Korea into North Korea last week is presumed to be a North Korean who had previously defected to the South, Seoul's defence ministry said on Monday.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) had said it carried out a search operation after detecting the person on Saturday on the eastern side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.