Another North Korean soldier has defected at the demilitarized zone

On Thursday, a North Korean soldier raced across the heavily armed demilitarized zone and defected to South Korea, the fourth soldier to do so this year.

The soldier, believed to be 19, chose to cross at a more remote portion of the border between the two Koreas. After the defection, the South Korean military noticed there were several North Korean soldiers coming toward the line separating the countries in the DMZ, and they fired 20 warning shots, a defense official told The Associated Press. The official said they were likely searching for the defector, and they turned around after the shots were fired.

Last month, a North Korean soldier was shot five times as he tried to escape to South Korea, and had to be rescued by the South Korean military. He is still recovering in a South Korean hospital.