SEOUL, South Korea (AP) \u2014 An unidentified North Korean man crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas and is in South Korean custody, the South\u2019s military said Friday.<\/p>\n
The South\u2019s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a \u201cguiding operation\u201d before taking the person into custody Thursday night.<\/p>\n
It said authorities plan to investigate the border crossing and did not immediately say whether they view the incident as a defection attempt.<\/p>\n
The Joint Chiefs said it notified the U.S.-led United Nations Command about the incident and had not detected any immediate signs of unusual military activity by the North.<\/p>\n
According to the Joint Chiefs, a South Korean military team approached the unarmed North Korean man after detecting him and, after identifying themselves as South Korean troops, guided him safely out of the mine-strewn Demilitarized Zone<\/a> that divides the two Koreas.<\/p>\n Border tensions have flared in recent months as the two Koreas traded Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea sending thousands of trash-filled balloons toward the South and South Korea blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda through loudspeakers.<\/p>\n Since taking office last month, South Korea\u2019s new liberal President Lee Jae Myung<\/a> has made efforts to rebuild trust with North Korea<\/a>, halting the frontline loudspeaker broadcasts and moving to ban activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border. <\/p>\n