An anonymous man recently crossed the South Korean border and walked right through the heavily fortified border of North Korea. Crossing the two borders on Sunday, the man is speculated to be a North Korean defector who had walked in the opposite direction almost a year ago.

In a statement released by the South Korean Defense Ministry on Monday, the unidentified man is said to have crossed over to North Korea in November 2020.  The ministry added that officials were now verifying the facts of the bizarre incident.

Spotted at the eastern front of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on Saturday night, the man was found through thermal observation, according to a statement released by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea.

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The man crossed the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea around 10:40 pm as troops dispatched for his lookout failed to spot him.

According to an army official, cameras had recorded the man climbing a barbed wire fence around 6:40 pm on Saturday, but the guard on duty had apparently missed the occurrence.

The military official added that the authorities were working on identifying the man and his whereabouts. It is difficult to deduce if the man is still alive. Officials suggest that the man was a North Korea defector.

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In a statement on Sunday, Boo Seung-chan, spokesman of the Defense Ministry of South Korea, talked about sending a notice to North Korea to protect South Koreans who might have crossed the border. A response from North Korea is awaited.

Boo added that there had not been any suspicious movements of the North Korean military when the incident took place.

The North Korean media has not reported any unusual crossings over the demilitarized zone yet.

North Korea and South Korea have one of the most fortified borders in the world. Over the past years, many North Koreans have defected to the latter.