A North Korean soldier defected through the demilitarized zone, the South Korean military and local media said Tuesday, the second cross-border defection this month amid a loudspeaker propaganda campaign by Seoul.

Despite North Korea's efforts to prevent defections, a North Korean soldier defected to South Korea's Gangwon Province early today.

Travis King, the U.S. Army private who ran into North Korea across the DMZ last year, will plead guilty to charges including desertion and assault as part of a plea deal, his lawyer said.