Unidentified person crosses eastern border into N. Korea: S. Korean military

SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military announced Sunday an unidentified person crossed the eastern inter-Korean land border into North Korea the previous night despite its eleventh-hour efforts to stop the move.

The person was spotted moving into the North across the Military Demarcation Line at around 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, 80 minutes after being detected by surveillance equipment installed in the heavily fortified border region, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The JCS has yet to identify the person, with an investigation under way, its officials said.

On Sunday morning, the South Korean authorities sent a message to the North over the border crossing incident, they added.

It occurred in spite of the South Korean military's pledge to overhaul their border defense system with stronger surveillance equipment to forestall any security lapses in the wake of earlier border breaches.

In February last year, a North Korean man swam ashore into the South undetected, leading Defense Minister Suh Wook to offer a public apology. In November 2020, another North Korean civilian crossed the inter-Korean border undeterred.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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