The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a “guiding operation” before taking the person into custody Thursday night.

South Korean troops detain unarmed North Korean man after rare border crossing amid rising inter-Korean military tensions

Defections across the land border are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides.