A North Korean man was taken into the South Korean military's custody on Wednesday after apparently crossing over the heavily-armed border in the mountainous eastern region of the country.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said on Wednesday that the man was captured at around 9:50 a.m., about ten hours after his border crossing was detected by surveillance equipment.

Through coordination with related agencies, the JCS plans to conduct an investigation into how the man crossed the border and whether he wishes to defect to the South.

There have reportedly been no signs of unusual movements by the North Korean military.

During the search, troops were placed on "Jindotgae One" alert, which is issued in the event of a possible armed intrusion by North Korea.