N. Korean officer defects to S. Korea through land border: official

CHEOLWON, South Korea, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean soldier has defected to South Korea through the inter-Korean border, a military official said Tuesday.

The North Korean, claiming to be a sergeant and presumed to be in his 30s or 40s,
crossed the border near this northeastern city Sunday and told South Korean
guards that he was seeking asylum, the official said, asking not to be
identified. He was handed over to the authorities and is being held for
questioning.
"He is in good health and made it clear that he wishes to stay in the South
because he grew tired of North Korean society and is worried about its dismal
future," the official said.
In April this year, a commissioned officer from the North also defected to South
Korea through the land border.
Over 12,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since the end of the 1950-53
Korean War, but most of them are civilians and came via a third country after
fleeing to China, which has agreed with North Korea to immediately repatriate
defectors.