The corpse of a North Korean soldier was found floating in Hantan river in Cheolwon County, Gangwon Province on Thursday and has been handed over to the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission, South Korean military confirmed Sunday.

This is the first time a North Korean soldier’s corpse had been carried by a river to the South since September 2010.

The North Korean soldier, thought to have died sometime last week during the heavy rains, was found by South Korean troops and the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission will take steps to return the body to the North.

According to Seoul’s military officials, the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission is responsible for informing the North and negotiating the steps for returning the body when North Korean soldiers are swept across the border.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)