Coverage dated October 18, 2025

North Korean soldier defects to South Korea across the rivals

Headline from CBS News

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone on Sunday, South Korea's military said.

CBS News's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Reports & sources

7 articles, oldest first.

The Guardian
North Korean soldier defects to South Korea across heavily fortified border (opens The Guardian)
Published Oct 18, 2025
The Guardian's feed description
Soldier’s is first reported defection to South Korea across 248km militarised zone since August 2024
CBS News
North Korean soldier defects to South Korea across the rivals (opens CBS News)
Published Oct 18, 2025
CBS News's feed description
A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone on Sunday, South Korea's military said.
Digital Journal
North Korean soldier held by Seoul after crossing land border (opens Digital Journal)
Published Oct 18, 2025
Digital Journal's feed description
A North Korean soldier was taken into custody by the South after he voluntarily crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas on
WMUR
North Korean soldier defects to South Korea across border (opens WMUR)
Published Oct 18, 2025
WMUR's feed description
It was the first reported defection by a North Korean soldier since a North Korean staff sergeant fled to South Korea via the border in August 2024.
Al Jazeera
South Korea arrests North Korean soldier for crossing fortified border (opens Al Jazeera)
Published Oct 18, 2025
Al Jazeera's feed description
The incident is the first alleged defection of a North Korean soldier in more than a year.

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.