North Korean avoids land mines to cross DMZ into South Korea as Seoul softens stance on Pyongyang

A North Korean man walked across one of the majority of dangerous borders in the world and into South Korean custody late Thursday The unidentified man who was unarmed crossed the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone DMZ The Associated Press announced South Korea s Joint Chiefs of Staff disclosed troops tracked him near the central-west portion of the territory line and guided him through the mine-laced terrain before taking him into custody Military personnel have not noted whether the man was attempting to defect The American-led United Nations Command was notified and no atypical movement was observed on the North Korean side SOUTH KOREA FACES HIGH-STAKES ELECTORAL PROCESS FEARS OVER CHINA NORTH KOREA AND US TIES SHAPE VOTER CONCERNSThe spanning comes amid growing criticism of South Korea s shift in strategy toward the North Since taking office June South Korea s liberal president Lee Jae Myung has taken attempts to ease friction with Pyongyang He halted loudspeaker broadcasts that blasted messages into the North and moved to ban balloon launches by activists carrying pro-democracy leaflets according to The Associated Press Critics warn Seoul's stance weakens deterrence and sends the wrong message to Kim Jong Un's regime In new weeks there have been reports North Korea launched thousands of balloons filled with trash like cigarette butts and diapers into the South the Wall Street Journal communicated KIM JONG UN LEFT FUMING AFTER NORTH KOREA S NEW DESTROYER DAMAGED IN FAILED LAUNCHBorder incidents between the two Koreas are also becoming more frequent In April ten North Korean troops briefly crossed the military demarcation line before retreating after warning shots Last year saw three similar incursions according to The Associated Press Thursday s situation involved not a group of soldiers but a single man navigating from North Korea into the South It is considered increasingly rare for manageable defectors to choose this passage typical North Koreran defectors take a path through China instead Diplomatic talks between the U S and North Korea have been frozen since when denuclearization negotiations collapsed Since then Kim has poured materials into expanding his nuclear arsenal and repeatedly threatened both Seoul and Washington CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPPresident Donald Trump has warned North Korea that the U S will respond forcefully to any aggression His administration remains committed to a strong alliance with South Korea and Japan and to keeping a close watch on Pyongyang The Associated Press contributed to this assessment