A North Korean soldier who crossed the border into South Korea expressed his wish to defect, Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul announced on Thursday.

The unidentified man, who was detected by thermal imaging equipment, made the daring attempt and crossed the military demarcation line inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Asian nations late Wednesday, the JCS confirmed.

Read more: UN Security Council to meet on North Korea

The zone is notoriously dangerous with landmines, fences, guard posts, and other military equipment scattered across both borders. As a result, unauthorized crossings are scarce.

Nevertheless, the South Korean army discovered a body near the DMZ suspected to be that of a North Korean civilian, a spokesman for South Korea's defense ministry said on Thursday.

The corpse was found in the Imjin River and appeared to have been dead for at least two weeks, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

The last defection by a North Korean trooper across the DMZ was in November 2018.

A year earlier a North Korean soldier was shot at least five times as he attempted to cross the border, where he was subsequently treated by South Korean doctors.

jsi/rt (dpa, Reuters)

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