N. Korean crossed neutral zone of Han River estuary into S. Korea last week: JCS

This file photo, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows an image of the Northern Limit Line over which North Korean residents cross to defect to the South. Yonhap

A North Korean crossed the "neutral waters" of the Han River estuary near the inter-Korean border into South Korea last week, the military said Thursday, in what's presumed to be a defection to the South.

South Korean troops secured the North Korean individual early last Thursday after detecting the person in the neutral zone of the Han River estuary located west of the inter-Korean land border, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The North Korean man is believed to have expressed intent to defect to the South.

A military official said troops detected the individual in the northern part of the estuary with a surveillance device for the first time Wednesday night. After some 10 hours of monitoring, the military rescued the person at around 4 a.m. the following day.

The JCS said it did not detect any unusual signs from North Korean troops at that time.

The individual has since been transferred to relevant authorities for an investigation.

It marked the second time that a North Korean has defected to the South since the Lee Jae Myung administration took office in June. In July, a North Korean civilian crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean land border.