South Korea sees 'high chances' of defector crossing into North

SEOUL: South Korea sees "high chances" of an individual's alleged illegal border crossing into North Korea, a military official said here on Sunday after Pyongyang claimed that a defector with suspected COVID-19 symptoms recently crossed the demarcation line. "The military is looking into the detailed routes, seeing high chances of a certain individual's border crossing into the North," the official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News Agency.

"Regarding the North's media report, our military has specified some people and is verifying facts in close collaboration with related agencies."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is reviewing the military's overall readiness posture, including its monitoring equipment and recorded video clips, he said.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said earlier in the day that leader Kim Jong-un convened an emergency politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and adopted the "maximum emergency system" against the coronavirus pandemic after the defector returned home. (IANS)

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