It was the first defection in 10 years of a commissioned North Korean military officer, according to Yonhap, an official South Korean news agency.
One can never tell if this is an isolated incident, the tip of the iceberg indicating a wider problem within the North Korean military, or even a plant by North Korea to perhaps discourage such defections by later decrying his treatment in the south and begging to go home.
It is news, regardless.