A North Korean soldier has reportedly defected to South Korea by crossing the border, Korean media Yonhap reported, citing the military.

The soldier, reportedly a staff sergeant, crossed the border early Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.

Korea's Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the authorities are investigating how the defection took place.

No additional information on the defector was shared.

Numbers of North Korean defectors continued to increase

Just two weeks ago, a North Korean resident had crossed the neutral zone of the Han River estuary near the west of the inter-Korean land border to defect to South Korea.

The number of North Korean defectors continued to increase amid reported ongoing food scarcity in the North.

The number of North Korean defectors arriving in South Korea in the first half of 2024 increased from 99 last year to 105.

Since mid-July, South Korea has intensified its anti-Pyongyang broadcast along the border, broadcasting news and K-Pop music.

The campaign was conducted in response to North Korea's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons into South Korea.

To date, North Korea has flown more than 3,600 trash-filled balloons into South Korea.

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