A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea last August 20th by crossing the mine-laden Military Demarcation Line (MDL) on foot. Considering that most Korean defectors used to enter South Korea through other third countries, defection through the MDL was a rare case that has not happened since 2019. Once the South Korean military detected the movement of the soldier through a thermal observation device (TOD), they determined it was an attempt at defection and assisted in the soldier’s escape. The route was along a coastal path in Goseong County, eastern Gangwon Province, and the motive for defecting was said to be “because life was too hard.” The defector turned out to be a North Korean military senior sergeant, and from the way he avoided all the mines, it is believed that he might have been part of the mine-laying operation. Some analysts view the defection as the result of loudspeaker broadcasts along the front lines starting to take effect. Previously, in July, the South Korean military began to activate the propaganda broadcast “Voice of Freedom” towards North Korea in response to their sewage balloons. Military officials expect that the psychological distress of North Korean residents living within the audible range of the loudspeakers will increase and have a more significant impact over time.