Report: North Korean Soldier Swims Across River to Defect

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says a North Korean soldier used improvised foam floating devices to swim across the Han River and defect. Although very few details have been released on the defector, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said on Sunday that he was seen in Gimpo, near Seoul, and is thought to be in his early twenties. He reportedly screamed, “Don’t kill me, I am here to defect!” when a South Korean marine spotted him making his journey. He is now due to be questioned by South Korean military officials. The defection is the second of its kind in a week, after another North Korean soldier walked across the border separating the two countries last week.