Anchor: A junior North Korean soldier defected across the Demilitarized Zone early Thursday and South Korean troops fired warning shots at the pursuing North Korean party. 
Bae Joo-yon has the story. 

Report: A low-ranking soldier from North Korea defected across the inter-Korean land border in the central western front at around 8:04 a.m. Thursday. 

South Korean troops issued warning messages and fired around 20 warning shots shortly after pursuing North Korean soldiers approached the Military Demarcation Line between the two countries at around 9:24 a.m.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North’s soldiers then ceased their approach and turned back.

Some 40 minutes later, several gun shots could be heard in the North, but the Joint Chiefs said no bullets appeared to have crossed over. 
Related agencies will investigate the cause and circumstances of the soldier's escape. The soldier is around 19 years old and was reportedly carrying an AK rifle. 

The arrival comes 38 days after a dramatic defection by a North Korean soldier made headlines when he sustained multiple gunshot wounds as he crossed the Joint Security Area. 

The Unification Ministry said two other North Korean men defected to South Korea by crossing the East Sea in a small boat. 

A ministry official told reporters Thursday that the Korean Coast Guard spotted the wooden vessel some 100 kilometers north of the Dokdo islets at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. 

The official said that the two men on board expressed intentions to defect and that they appeared to have spent a lot of time stranded at sea.

Fifteen North Koreans have defected to the South so far this year, including four soldiers. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.