A North Korean gymnast defected from the country earlier this month by jumping over a heavily fortified, 10-foot-tall fence that borders the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ ) separating North and South Korea, a South Korean official said Monday.

The man, said to be in his late 20s and of small stature, evaded capture for 14 hours after leaping over the barbed-wire-topped fence the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to Yonhap News Agency . Military cameras spotted him in the area twice on Monday night prior to his leap.

After he surrendered to troops about a mile from the fence, the unarmed civilian requested asylum.