Body of North Korean soldier washes up in South

SEOUL (Reuters) - The body of a North Korean soldier who apparently drowned in recent flooding washed up in South Korea on Tuesday in a river that flows across the heavily armed border, South Korean officials said.

The uniformed soldier was likely killed several days ago when heavy rains hit the centre part of the Korean peninsula. The body was found by border guards about 130 km (80 miles) northeast of Seoul, they said.

Several bodies of North Koreans killed in floods have washed down to the South in swollen rivers over the past few years.

The South typical contacts North Korea to find an appropriate way to repatriate the remains.

South Korean officials said they would try to send the body of the dead soldier back to the North through a joint truce village in the Demilitarized Zone buffer that divides the peninsula.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz and Kim Junghyun; Editing by Paul Tait)