Transcript for A soldier escapes from North Korean to South Korea

from North Korea. A young soldier risking his life, driving across the no man's land of the dmz, crashing his jeep and making a run for it. You can see him there, just yards from the border, as his fellow soldiers were firing on him. ABC's chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz with the dramatic video of his escape. Reporter: It happened near these iconic buildings stradingle the border. The only place where soldiers from the north and south come face to face. Those from the north just yards from freedom. A quest that nearly ended in death for this soldier. Behind the wheel of a military jeep, the 24-year-old barrels towards the south. His fellow north Korean soldiers in hot pursuit. There's landmines, there are multiple sets of fences, electrified fences, so it's not easy to get across. Reporter: The jeep crashes into a ditch. The border so close. He breaks into a run as north Korean guards open fire. Dozens of rounds aimed at the defector. Five or six ripping into him as he crosses the dividing line. Critically wounded, these infrared images show what happens next. South Korean soldiers stay low. Avoiding fire, crawling towards the defector. That is him lying still. They carry him out, away from the danger and off to a nearby medical center. The defector is expected to survive, but he not only has those bullet wounds from which to recover, but he had parasites throughout his body, likely from food and water that were contaminated, which gives you a real window into what life is life for those soldiers and north Korean citizens.

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