Teenage NKorean soldier defects to SKorea

SEOUL, June 15 (UPI) -- A teenage North Korean soldier raised tensions when he crossed the demilitarized zone, and unexpectedly defected to a South Korea Guard Post on Monday.

South Korea military reported the unaccompanied soldier crossed into the South at 8 a.m., in a "central-east" segment of the DMZ before surrendering to South Korean soldiers, Yonhap reported.

By late Monday, the 19-year-old North Korean national was handed over to the "relevant agency" for further identification, according to a military official.

South Korean television network SBS reported the defector had been subjected to regular beatings as a North Korean soldier of the lowest rank. He held heavy grievances about his treatment, which was cited as the cause for his defection, according to Seoul.

The soldier's decision to defect across a tensely guarded area between the North and South took both sides by surprise. As the defector fled, confusion ensued but gunshots were not fired. South Korea said no additional movement on the North Korean side was detected after the event, and concluded the defector had acted alone.

South Korea military reported more details of the defection should emerge after an on-site inspection is complete.

The central-east zone of the DMZ is close to Hwacheon county, Gangwon province.

Direct cross-border defections by North Korean soldiers are rare, but in 2012 a series of defections including a barbed-wire fence jumper and two arrivals at a checkpoint under the supervision of South Korea's 22nd Division sparked a debate in South Korea about the lax security in certain areas of the border between the two Koreas.