SEOUL (Reuters) - A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea on Saturday, the South Korean military said, but there were no unusual movements by North Korea’s military in response.

The North Korean soldier was spotted moving toward South Korea, and then crossed over a military demarcation line separating the two sides, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

The defection took place after the two Koreas removed guard posts along the border in an effort to build trust on the divided peninsula.

Such defections are rare but there have been several over recent years, sometimes raising tension on the heavily fortified border. North Korean soldiers have even shot at defecting colleagues, raising fears of a clash.

The JCS said the soldier would be investigated and there were no unusual movements on the border.