South Korean guards fired up to 20 warning shots at North Korean troops searching for a fleeing soldier, this morning.
Officials in the South confirmed that the defector had escaped across the heavily militarised border, which separates the two countries.
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The low-ranking soldier crossed the border at around 8.04am (11.04pm GMT), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Roh Jae-cheon said.
Officials used surveillance equipment to detect the defecting soldier, despite heavy fog causing limited visibility.
No shots were fired at the soldier – however South Korean troops fired 20 rounds from a K-3 machine in a bid to warn off the guards.
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Mr Jae-cheon said: ‘Today a North Korean soldier defected through our military’s general outpost in the centre-western region.
‘Our military secured his safety, and a questioning will be conducted by related agencies to find out the background of his defection and motive.’
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Today’s defection came about five weeks after another North Korean soldier, named Oh Chong Songbeen, suffered critical gunshot wounds during a dash across the border on November 13.
He was transferred to a military hospital from a trauma centre at Ajou University Hospital south of Seoul, following the incident.
He was forced to undergo two major operations to treat the gunshot wounds and pre-existing conditions.
Two North Korean civilians were also found in a fishing boat this week attempting to defect, officials in the South said.
Their claim for asylum was being investigated.
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There was no immediate comment from the secretive North about the latest incidents.
The defections come at a time of heightened tension on the Korean peninsula because of North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes, which it is pursuing in defiance of international pressure that includes United Nations resolutions.
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