North Korean soldiers at the truce village of Panmunjeom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), Oct. 12. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



By Park Si-soo, Choi Ha-young



A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea through the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Monday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).



He was bleeding from gunshot wounds inflicted by North Korean border guards while he was defecting.



The JCS said the soldier headed toward the South from a guard post on the North Korean side of the JSA at 3:31 p.m., minutes after the South Korean military heard several rounds of gunfire. He was found bleeding on the ground on the south side of the JSA.





A North Korean soldier, who suffered gunshot wounds from North Korean forces while defecting to South Korea via the Joint Security Area, is being transferred to the operating theater at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. / Yonhap



South Korean soldiers crawled toward him to avoid possible additional gunfire and dragged him to the rear at 3:56 p.m. During this, the two Koreas did not exchange gunfire, according to the JCS.

He was bleeding from the elbow and shoulder, and was taken to a hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, by a helicopter operated by the United Nations Command.

His condition and other details remain unknown. The JCS said it would identify the soldier's name, age and rank after medical treatment, saying his medical and psychological stability were priorities. "Based on his uniform, we speculate he is a low-ranking soldier," the JCS said.

The soldier was unarmed, according to the JCS. The UN Command will investigate the exact route of his defection.

North Korea usually deploys children of the elite who are loyal to the ruling Workers' Party of Korea to the JSA, so the soldier's defection may cause a stir among North Korean society if the fact is known to people.

In February 1998, North Korean Captain Pyon Yong-kwan defected to the South through the JSA. The last defection of a North Korean soldier took place in Gangwon Province, June 23.



