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Saturday, December 01, 2018, 12:55
ROK says DPRK soldier defects to South
By Agencies
Saturday, December 01, 2018, 12:55 By Agencies

An ROK soldier (center) stands guard before the military demarcation line and DPRK's Panmun Hall, in the truce village of Panmunjom, within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Feb 21, 2018. (ED JONES / AFP)

SEOUL - A soldier from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) fled across a heavily fortified border to defect to the Republic of Korea (ROK) early Saturday, the military in Seoul said.

ROK soldiers escorted the defector to safety after finding him moving south of the eastern side of the military demarcation line that bisects the Koreas, the ROK's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

READ MORE: ROK to probe defection of 12 DPRK restaurant staff

ROK soldiers escorted the defector to safety after finding him moving south of the eastern side of the military demarcation line that bisects the Koreas

The ROK authorities plan to question the defector over the details of his escape. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had not observed any unusual activity from DPRK troops in the area where the defection happened.

It comes as the DPRK and ROK have pushed to implement a wide-ranging military agreement reached in September to reduce tensions across their border.

Last November, a DPRK soldier was critically wounded in a jointly controlled area after he fled to the South amid a hail of bullets fired by his former comrades. The soldier, Oh Chong-song, survived and told a Japanese newspaper last month that he had been drinking after getting into unspecified trouble with his friends. He said he kept going after breaking through a checkpoint in a military jeep because he became fearful of being executed.

ALSO READ: Report: DPRK replaces border guards following defection

The ROK’s Defense Ministry said Friday that the Korean militaries completed removing 20 front-line guard posts and landmines from a border area where they plan to start their first-ever joint search for remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.


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