Kim Jong Un
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Command of Large Combined Unit 324 of the Korean People's Army in an undisclosed location in this undated recent picture released by the North's KCNA in Pyongyang.Reuters

A North Korean, who deserted the communist regime's army, allegedly murdered four Chinese citizens in the border city of Helong in a robbery case and has now been detained by Chinese authorities.

The North Korean allegedly killed four people in their homes with a gun on 28 December last year, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. The incident occurred in the border town of Nanping in Helong, close to North Korea's North Hamkyong province.

The suspect was detained after a manhunt by Chinese police officials as well as military authorities. The killing comes exactly one year after a North Korean defector killed an elderly Chinese couple in December 2013 after robbing them, according to Yonhap.

Some South Korean media also reported that North Korea realigned its border troops following the incident.

Chinese authorities have reportedly decided to not publicise the case.

"The Chinese authorities have ended a consultation with the North Korean side in dealing with the case and decided not to make the case public," a source told Yonhap.

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