North Korean soldier escapes to south
This story has pretty evaded the attention of much of the media, I think its fairly fascinating that one of the folks who survived the background checks required to patrol the demilitarized zone between the Koreas then killed his platoon and squad leaders to escape the hermit kingdom. From CNN;
South Korean soldiers at their guard posts reported hearing gunfire before he crossed into the South shortly after noon local time, according to a news release from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Soldiers in the South took the defector in on their side of the border and brought him to a safe place for questioning then tightened security in the area.
The North Korean said that “while he was on guard duty, he killed his platoon and squad leaders and defected thereafter,” the JCS said.
Defections over land through the heavily armed and fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) are rare, as most fleeing the communist North prefer the greater odds of success of crossing by sea.
“The last North Korean soldier who defected (over land) was in March 2010,” said a spokesman from the defense ministry in Seoul.
But with his comrades dead and no longer capable of hindering him, it was easy for the soldier to flee south.
It reminds me of the story I told a few years ago about the East German border guard my patrol captured back in 1983. At the time, folks told us that we were the first US patrol to ever capture an East German. He didn’t kill anyone to escape, but he did shoot out the claymore-type mines that were on the 3 meter razor wire fence. His fellow East German soldier threatened to shoot him, but never followed through, luckily for him.
Both the East German and the Korean had been indoctrinated in their communist culture throughout their schooling and military training, but, I guess indoctrination can’t break the human spirit.
Category: Politics
With the Son of Kim Jung-Il, it’s likely we’ll see more.
North Korea is still having problems with drought, and now winter is coming on.
I doubt that the Chinese want any more ‘guests’ when they’re having enough weather and food resource problems of their own.
But is Communism and Socialism are so Wonderful, why are we converting to it here?
Really an amazing occurrence considering the brutality of the Kim dynasty.
The reporter however had no understanding of NK when he wrote “But with his comrades dead and no longer capable of hindering him, it was easy for the soldier to flee south.” Hardly! The soldier made a huge sacrifice that I cannot even fathom having to make. He may have had to kill his whole platoon to get over the border, but now his parents & siblings will be executed and his cousins, aunts, uncles, and neighbors will all be sent to re-education camps to insure his infection of Freedom will not spread any further. They will never see the light of freedom again until the day we end this nightmare.
I cannot recommend enough the book ‘Escape From Camp 14’, the story of Shin Dong-hyuk as told to Blaine Harden.
NK is a mess and has been for over 50 years.
Funny about the East Germans– I looked at them for about 18 months or so in West Berlin…then years later I worked with some in Bosnia. Wierd world
It is an amazing story. I’m sorry people lost their lives, but the connotations are intriguing.
It did deserve more media attention but it’s hard to get viewers if theres no missles. Or nukes. Missles and Nukes make news.
I’m glad he made it thru the mines. The DMZ is heavy with them.