N.K. says S. Korean man defected across border

North Korea said Tuesday a 30-year-old South Korean man has defected by crossing the heavily guarded land border between the two countries, Yonhap News said.



The man, identified as Kang Dong-lim, crossed the eastern military demarcation line on Monday, the North`s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a report monitored in Seoul.



South Korea`s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was checking on the report.



"He is now under the warm care of a relevant organ," the KCNA report said, adding Kang "is pleased with the accomplishment of his desire for defection."



According to the report, Kang raised pigs on a farm in South Korea`s southwestern region after quitting his job at a Samsung-affiliated semiconductor company.



"During the military service he made several attempts for defection with his longing for the northern half of Korea, but in vain," it said. South Korea runs a conscription.



A 45-year-old South Korean man made it into the communist neighbor through the border between North Korea and China in 2007 but was expelled for reasons yet to be identified.

Last month, a 54-year-old man received a suspended prison term in South Korea for trying to defect to Pyongyang through a North Korean embassy earlier this year.