A South Korean soldier was found dead on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone early Wednesday morning in a gun-related incident, the military said.

Army Private Jeong was found with gunshot wounds in the central east border area of Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, around 3:00 a.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The 21-year-old had been participating in a border patrol operation inside the DMZ, according to JCS.

"Now an investigation is underway to see how he was found and how the incident took place," JCS said in a press release. "No particular signs have been detected from the North Korean military in regard to this incident."

"Private Jeong was lying on the floor when I went to see after hearing a gunshot," a fellow soldier was quoted as saying about the incident.

After joining the military in September, Jeong was assigned to his current unit in October, and he had not shown any abnormal signs during his three-month service there, other military officials said.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men must serve in the military for about two years since the country technically remains at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. (Yonhap)