By Lee Min-hyung
A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea, Saturday, the first such incident since the two Koreas finished demolishing 10 guard posts on each side of the border line with inter-Korean reconciliation moves.
There was no exchange of fire as the defector crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) at around 8 a.m. Saturday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“The defector was seen crossing to the southern side of the MDL at 7:56 a.m. via our surveillance equipment, and the North's military showed no signs of unusual movement near the area,” a military official said.
Another government source said Sunday the defector was believed to be in his late teens or early 20s.
“He defected to the South by crossing near eastern border town of Goseong, Gangwon Province,” said the source, who declined to be named. The defector was able to cross the area because North Korea had demolished a nearby guard post, according to the source.
The defection came as Seoul and Pyongyang are moving to reconcile by disarming border areas following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's pledge earlier this year to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
President Moon Jae-in and Kim have since held three inter-Korean summits. They signed a comprehensive military agreement in September during their third meeting, and reached a consensus to ease tension near the inter-Korean border, a step toward building lasting peace on the peninsula.
After completing the demolition of the guard posts, both sides will carry out joint inspections to ensure they have been completely destroyed. Demolition is expected to be finished by the end of this year.
As of the end of last month, the two Koreas also finished mine clearing on Arrow Hill, an upland area in Gangwon Province, paving the way for them to build an inter-Korean road over the area before starting joint excavation of the remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.
For the smooth progress of inter-Korean reconciliation, the North Korean leader also pledged to visit Seoul no later than the end of this year during a three-day inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang.
At that time, President Moon said he asked Kim to visit Seoul this year and that Kim had accepted the invitation.
North Korea has yet to give any detailed timelines for Kim's possible trip to Seoul. But a fourth inter-Korean summit looks unlikely to take place this year because no concrete schedule has been unveiled.
The government said it was open to the possibility of another inter-Korean summit in Seoul this year.
The Ministry of Unification said Friday that nothing had been decided and that it remained open to all possibilities, preparing for various possible scenarios in the case Kim confirms his visit to Seoul.