It was wearing military uniform-like pants and a belt bearing a big star on its buckle, and the fingerprints were not registered in the South Korean system, leading the authorities to believe that the body was highly likely to be a North Korean soldier, and it had drifted to the South after recent heavy rains, according to officers.

Government agencies are investigating details of the incident, including the person's identity, according to a unification ministry official.

"If the body is confirmed to be a civilian, the unification ministry will take care of the case," the official said, adding the ministry has not yet received information on the probe result.

In previous similar cases, the government has notified North Korea of the incidents and asked whether they want to receive the bodies.

In Jan., the government handed over a North Korean body found in Ongjin County through the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. (Yonhap)