at the heavily guarded Joint Security Area.

As troops stationed in the frontline are believed to be chosen for their loyalty, this could

severely bruise the regime's military pride.

He was shot at by men from his side, but was picked up by South Korean soldiers and was

taken to the hospital.

For details on the daring escape, we turn to our Kwon Jang-ho

The Joint Security Area -- located on the border between the two Koreas

and the only place where soldiers from the two sides stand face-to-face.

And at three-thirty-one PM on Monda, a lone North Korean soldier ran from a guard post

on the northern side, and crossed over the Military Demarcation Line into South Korean

territory.

The soldier suffered from gunshot wounds to his shoulder and elbow from North Korean forces

while defecting.

Upon hearing the shots, South Korean soldiers raised the alarm, but the defector was not

discovered until 25 minutes later, collapsed on the ground, 50-meters from the border and

bleeding from his wounds.

(Korean) Our soldiers safely retrieved the defector,

and urgently evacuated him to hospital to treat his injuries.

He was airlifted by a United Nations Command helicopter to Ajou University Medical Center

in Suwon, just south of Seoul, where he underwent surgery.

The defector is thought to be in his twenties or thirties, and wore a uniform of low rank.

Defecting through the JSA is extremely rare, with only two previous instances in 1998 and

2007.

South Korean authorities have reassured that there was no altercation between South and

North Korean soldiers, but added that Seoul will remain alert to any possible provocations.

It's been almost two months since North Korea last carried out a ballistic missile test,

or any other provocation, and many have hoped that this signalled an easing of tensions

on the peninsula.

It's currently unclear what response Pyongyang will give to Monday's incident.

Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News.