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Another North Korean Soldier Defected Across The DMZ

So far this year, four North Korean soldiers have defected to South Korea.

By: Katherine Biek

Posted at 1:20 PM, Dec 21, 2017

Another North Korean soldier reportedly defected to South Korea.

South Korea's military says the "low-ranking" soldier crossed over the heavily guarded demilitarized zone just after 8 a.m. local time Thursday.

Roughly an hour and a half later, South Korean troops fired about 20 warning shots at North Korean soldiers who were presumably searching for the defector.

Back in November, another North Korean soldier was shot at least five times while dramatically crossing the DMZ into the South.

A spokesman for South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said the most recent defector is in custody. He is the fourth North Korean soldier to defect this year. That's an increase from 2016, when only one soldier defected to South Korea.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.