The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a “guiding operation” before taking the person into custody Thursday night.

A North Korean man who identified himself as a civilian crossed the heavily fortified military demarcation line between the two Koreas and was taken into custody, the South's military said Friday.

The South Korean military said it identified and tracked the unarmed man on Thursday night, before troops approached him near the Demilitarized Zone. He was taken into custody. Authorities have launched a probe into the incident.