Seoul (CNN) A North Korean soldier defected Thursday after crossing the border and entering South Korea, according to a press release from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The South Korean military says the soldier crossed the mid-eastern portion of the Military Demarcation Line -- which is located inside the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two countries -- at 10 a.m. local time.

It's not clear how or why he defected, but the South Korean military said it will investigate.

The soldier's defection follows that of a senior diplomat who abandoned his post at the country's embassy in the United Kingdom in August.

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