Image via Wikimedia Commons
.jpg){kind=link}
A North Korean soldier was shot by his former comrades while fleeing to South Korea across the demilitarized zone between the two countries on Monday, CNN reports.
The soldier is reported to have driven a vehicle near the military demarcation line at the North Korean guard post in front of Panmungak, where he exited and proceeded to flee across towards the Freedom House in South Korea.
He was fired upon by North Korean guards and “initially took cover near a building on the southern side,” UN Command in South Korea said.
He was evacuated and transported by South Korean and U.S. forces to the Ajou University Medical Center in Suwon, South Korea.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement Monday that the soldier needed emergency medical attention.
The UN Command in South Korea notified the North Korean People's Army that "the individual is being medically treated at this time and an investigation into the incident is underway."
Defections from North Korea seem to be on the rise.
“Monday's defection is the third by a member of the North Korean military this year, following two soldiers who fled to South Korea separately in June,” reports CNN. “Prior to 2017, there had only been four military defectors from North Korea over the past five years: one in 2016, one in 2015 and two in 2012.”
Thank you for supporting MRCTV! As a tax-deductible, charitable organization, we rely on the support of our readers to keep us running! Keep MRCTV going with your gift here!