WATCH: A North Korean defector makes a daring escape under heavy gunfire
The United Nations Command released a video showing a North Korean defector who brazenly crossed the border into South Korea, as North Korean soldiers fired their weapons at him.
On November 13, the North Korean soldier began his escape by speeding toward a bridge in a jeep at around 3:20 p.m. local time. The soldier continues to drive past a North Korean building despite soldiers pursuing him on foot.
He tried driving past the Military Demarcation Line, the line dividing North and South Korea, and into South Korea; however, ran into an obstruction and could go no further.
North Korean soldiers from the adjacent guard tower ran towards the jeep to respond and the defector quickly got out of the vehicle and ran south across the MDL. Several North Korean soldiers could be seen firing their weapons at the defector, who appeared to be only a few feet away.
Here’s a closer look at the North Korean forces firing their weapons, in slow-motion:
During the incident, one North Korean soldier appeared to cross the MDL for a few seconds, and then run back towards the northern side of the line. A multinational UNC commission reportedly conducted a “thorough investigation,” in which it found North Korea and breached the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the Korean War conflict.
“The [Korean People’s Army] violated the armistice agreement by one, firing weapons across the MDL, and two, and by actually crossing the MDL,” a spokesman said during a news conference Tuesday.
As US-South Korean forces are alerted of the incident, North Korean troops could be seen mobilizing from Panmungak, one of the main North Korean buildings at the demilitarized zone.
The defector is found resting on a wall in a pile of leaves. It was later determined that North Korean forces fired 40 rounds, and doctors said the defector was shot six times
Heat signature from cameras show two Joint Security Area security forces crawling towards the defector to carry him out. The JSA forces then drag him out and begin evacuating procedures in which US forces airlift him to Ajou University Medical Center.
No South Korean or US forces were harmed during the incident, according to United States Forces Korea.
During multiple surgical procedures, doctors found dozens of parasites in his digestive tract, shedding light on the humanitarian crisis in North Korea, even for its soldiers. He is reportedly in stable condition.
Although the defector’s name and rank have not been disclosed, he is believed to be in his mid-20s and a staff sergeant in the KPA.
