A person suspected of illegally crossing the border from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was killed by Chinese border patrol soldiers in Helong, Jilin province, on Thursday, the city's publicity department reported on its micro blog.

The suspect reportedly resisted arrest after entering the village of Nanping and was shortly before 4 am. The case remains under investigation.

The Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture, which administers Helong, shares more than 500 kilometers of border with the DPRK.

In December, a runaway DPRK soldier reportedly killed four Chinese residents in Helong during a robbery after he crossed the border, according to Xinhua News Agency. The soldier was shot during his arrest and died in a hospital, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in January.

The prefecture established a military-civilian defense system for better border security following the incident. Local residents were encouraged to report any illegal border activities, and a telephone hotline was created.

He Na contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at [email protected]