North Korean soldier shot while defecting across heavily guarded DMZ
A North Korean soldier was shot and injured by his own military as he crossed the heavily garrisoned Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) into South Korea. The defecting soldier made it to the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the village of Panmunjom. He has been hospitalized. The defection comes amid simmering tensions between the North and its neighbors.
North and South Korean soldiers stand face-to-face at JSA
The JSA at Panmunjom is the only part of the DMZ where the North and South Korean militaries stand face-to-face. The South Korean military said the defecting soldier "crossed from a North Korea post towards our Freedom House [a building on the South Korean side of the border]." He received gunshot wounds in the arm and shoulder.
North and South Korea still technically at war
This is the third defection to the JSA since the end of the Cold War. Every year, around 1,000 North Koreans defect to the South. However, few defect via the DMZ, among the world's most heavily fortified areas. Technically, North and South Korea are still at war as the 1953 war between them ended in an armistice (truce), not a formal peace treaty.
Decline in number of North Korean defections
Since the Korean War's end in 1953, over 30,000 North Koreans have defected to the South. Most defections take place along the long border with China, not the heavily protected DMZ. However, the South says there's been a drop in defections over the last year. This could be due to increased North Korean surveillance and improved border security by the North and China.
