A North Korean soldier has been taken into South Korean custody after crossing the heavily fortified border between the two countries, in what officials believe is the latest defection from Kim Jong Un's authoritarian regime.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Wednesday that the soldier crossed into the South on Tuesday night and is now being questioned by authorities.

"The military secured custody of one North Korean soldier in the central front Tuesday night, and relevant authorities are currently investigating the details," the Joint Chiefs said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

The soldier reportedly expressed an intention to defect, making him the latest North Korean serviceman to risk his life for freedom despite increasingly severe border controls imposed by Pyongyang.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Kim has spent recent years tightening surveillance and fortifying both the border with South Korea and the frontier with China in an effort to stem defections.

New barbed-wire fences, minefields, watchtowers, and shoot-to-kill orders have made escape attempts far more dangerous.

Yet, even those measures have failed to completely stop North Koreans from fleeing.

The latest crossing marks the fourth known case of a North Korean entering South Korea since President Lee Jae Myung took office last year.

It is also the first known military defection since October, when a North Korean staff sergeant crossed the Military Demarcation Line after navigating a hazardous route along the east coast.

Military defections are particularly significant because North Korean soldiers are subject to intense political indoctrination and surveillance.

Successfully escaping the regime often requires evading armed patrols, land mines, and strict monitoring by fellow troops.

The Journal reported that at least three North Korean soldiers have defected across the Demilitarized Zone over the past year despite the growing risks.

Defections from North Korea have fallen dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before border lockdowns were imposed, more than 1,000 North Koreans typically reached South Korea each year.

Last year, only 223 defectors arrived, reflecting the regime's intensified efforts to seal its borders.

Still, analysts say the continued trickle of defections underscores persistent hardships inside North Korea and the willingness of some citizens to risk everything for a chance at a better life.

More than 34,000 North Koreans have resettled in South Korea over the past several decades.

South Korean authorities have not released details about the soldier's identity, rank, or reasons for defecting.

Officials are expected to conduct a thorough investigation before determining his long-term status.