South Korean crosses demilitarised zone in rare defection to North

The fate of the defector is unknown after they crossed the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas

A South Korean has crossed the heavily fortified border in a rare defection to North Korea, South Korea's military has said.

Years of repression and poverty in North Korea have led more than 30,000 people to flee to the South in the decades since Korean war hostilities ended with an armistice, but crossings in the other direction are extremely rare.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report