An unidentified person has crossed the North Korean border on Sunday, South Korean military officials have said.
South Korea first spotted the person near the heavily-fortified border using surveillance equipment on Saturday night and sent troops out to capture them.
However, the troops were unable to find the person and the surveillance equipment then detected them crossing over the border, Joint Chiefs of Staff officers said.
South Korean officials sent a message to North Korea to try and ensure the person's safety but did not receive a response.
It is not clear who the person was or why they were crossing the border - whether it be a rare case of a South Korean defecting to the North or a North Korean returning home after entering the South.
In September 2020, North Korea shot and killed a South Korean fisheries official found in its waters along a poorly marked sea boundary.
South Korea said that North Korean troops were under orders to shoot anyone illegally crossing the border to protect against the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier in 2020, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un placed a border city under total lockdown after a North Korean defector with Covid-19-like symptoms sneaked back home. The fate of that defector, who had lived in South Korea, is not known.
The two countries are divided by the world’s most heavily armed border called the Demilitarized Zone.
There are an estimated two million mines throughout the 155-mile long zone, which is also guarded by tank traps, combat troops and barbed wire fences.
Earlier this year, North Korea warned its citizens not to copy South Korean or European culture.
Back in July, North Korea's official newspaper warned younger residents to only use North Korea's standard language as part of new laws that aimed to crack down on foreign influence in the country.
Those found in breach of the laws could be hit with jail time or even the death penalty, the BBC reports.
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper wrote: "The ideological and cultural penetration under the colourful coloured signboard of the bourgeoisie is even more dangerous than enemies who are taking guns."
It went on to claim that the Korean language based on the Pyongyang dialect is better than other variations and urged people to use it correctly.
Topics: World News
Claire Reid