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Seoul: Another North Korean Soldier Defects to South

by VOA News

   A North Korean soldier has defected to South Korea, crossing the
   Demilitarized Zone, Seoul's defense ministry said.

   Emerging from a thick fog, the "low-ranking" soldier appeared in front
   of a guard post around 8 a.m. Thursday, the South Korean Yonhap news
   agency reported.

   The defense ministry said there was no gunfire from the North when the
   soldier appeared. Later Thursday, South Korea detected North Korean
   soldiers approaching the demarcation line and fired 20 warning shots,
   according to the Associated Press. The North did not respond.

   A month ago when a North Korean soldier drove a jeep down a tree-lined
   road and then ran across the DMZ under a hail of at least 40 bullets
   from his ex-comrades. He suffered at least five gunshot wounds.

   The defector in November managed to reach the Joint Security Area
   within the DMZ, which forms the de facto border between the Koreas
   since the Korean War, and took cover behind a building. He was later
   rescued by South Korean soldiers and airlifted by a U.S. forces
   helicopter to Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, where he underwent
   surgery for his wounds. He is believed to still be recovering there.

   November's incident was the first shooting at the DMZ since 1984, when
   the two sides exchanged gunfire when a Soviet citizen ran across the
   border to defect to the South.

   Thursday's defection was the fourth by a North Korean soldier across
   the DMZ this year.