br Thanks for joining us on Arirang News. I'm Kim Bo-kyoung.br We start with. a North Korean defecting to South Korea on Thursday, by crossing the maritime border between the two Koreas.br The person reportedly crossed the neutral zone of the Hangang River estuary, located west of the inter-Korean border, and arrived at South Korea's Gyodong Island in Incheon expressing their intention to defect.br South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that it has secured custody of an unidentified individual presumed to be from North Korea, and handed the person over to relevant authorities, without providing further details.br A military official reportedly said the water level in the Hangang River estuary was low at the time, so the defector crossed on foot.