Another North Korean soldier has reportedly defected to South Korea

REUTERS/Lee Jin Woo

A North Korean soldier looks through a pair of binoculars in Panmunjom.

• Another North Korean soldier reportedly defected to South Korea.
• No gunfire was exchanged in the incident, unlike a dramatic defection that took place in November.
• This would be the fourth defection of a North Korean soldier this year.

A "low-ranking" North Korean soldier reportedly crossed the border and defected to South Korea Thursday morning, South Korean military officials said in a Yonhap News Agency report.

The incident did not spark a dramatic rescue like the one that captured international attention in November, when a North Korean soldier fled the country amid a hail of gunfire, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The latest soldier to defect reportedly showed up in front of a guard post around 8:04 a.m. under a thick fog, the Joint Chiefs told Yonhap News.

This would be the fourth defection by a North Korean soldier this year, according to the Joint Chiefs.

The defector in November - identified by his last name "Oh" and believed to be 24-years-old - was shot at least five times as he made his escape. US troops airlifted the defector by helicopter from the South Korean side of the border and transported him to a nearby hospital, where is he said to be recovering.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.