N Korean defector regains consciousness; video shows getaway under fire

The guy was already sick, and took 5 bullets at almost point blank, and still to crawl that far.

That's some willpower !

I bet he figured he had nothing to lose

I'm glad he's going to be OK.

I hope he doesn't have any family back in NK.

The BBC notes that the parasite infestation was probably an indication of the general state of health of the population: parasites are likely widespread, the norm rather than not. Crops are fertilised with human excrement so that parasites spread easily and are difficult to eradicate.

And as a member of the military, this man probably had better food and access to better medical care than the general population.

His colleagues should have escaped with him.

And yet we still have starry-eyed millennials on this site who have nothing but disdain for the West, while romanticize gets communism.

Take a good look at this romantic image.

‘Romanticizing communism ‘

Buddy really really wanted out. Good on him!

Holy crap! That is some action movie level drama in that footage! Hope the courageous defector recovers fully and quickly

It speaks volumes about a country when the departure of its citizens is described in terms of "escape." That verb is used for prisoners.

Goodness me. But why did he sit in the jeep for so long. Just get out and get running if you're stuck. Big kudos to the ROK guard who dragged him out.

30 cm tapeworms in his gut, depression and trauma. This is one of the national guards, one of the lucky ones.  What did he have to lose? The communist nightmare?  The lemmings scurrying after him were also a good insight. North Korea, the game is up.

This must be germ warfare and SK doesn't even realize yet. Lol!

Saw the video this morning on another site - very dramatic... and the guy standing in SK and looking round before he realises where he is, then buggering off back to NK... amazing footage.

I'm glad that the escaping soldier is recovering... and like others have noted, I hope he doesn't have family... I doubt they would be treated well.

Goodness me. But why did he sit in the jeep for so long.

You can see just before he gets out that he reverses back a little and tries to accelerate forward again. He was trying to drive across the border but the jeep got stuck. He would have had more protection in the jeep, but it wasn't going anywhere. Glad to hear that he'll probably pull through.

If the guy has a family, they will all spend the rest of their lives in the living hell of a NK concentration camp. That is the main deterrent for defectors.

I hope this guy can live with his conscience.

The bozos on the NK side are shooting him but are probably super jelly.

This recently as well as a couple of high ranking officers being "punished" reported in the news today. It feels just a little like there may be something of an uprising or similar brewing.

Reports are this guy is doing fine... hopefully everything goes ok for him. I feel terrible for his family.

Given how close behind him they were when he got out of the vehicle and they appear to be armed with semi-automatic weapons, I can't see how they didn't turn him in to a colander.

Dan lewis:

The bozos on the NK side are shooting him but are probably super jelly.

No. They have their own families to think about. Don´t believe for a moment the dictators running NK or the system they set up to control the population are stupid.

Also to note it is quite possible they were not trying to shoot him down, but pretend they are. Some bullets did hit, but that was not another retarded action film scene, if they really wanted to hit him, they would. Regime =\= peoples' mind.

This recently as well as a couple of high ranking officers being "punished" reported in the news today. It feels just a little like there may be something of an uprising or similar brewing. 

Those high ranking officers were in charge of the guards and punished as a result of this escape. Kim is only consolidating his grip on power.

Think about how valuable this guy is to South Korea, the US and Japan right now.

No wonder they are doing all they can to save him.

Think about how valuable this guy is to South Korea, the US and Japan right now.

An ordinary border guard? No. SK receives NK defectors all the time, usually via China and SE Asia.

I wonder if the guard that crossed for a few seconds also wanted to defect but was worried about being shot himself ?

(5th LD) N. Korean troops violated armistice in chasing defector: UNC

SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) -- The United Nations Command (UNC) announced Wednesday that North Korea clearly violated the 1953 Armistice Agreement twice last week, when its border security guards tried to hunt down a fellow soldier defecting to South Korea via Panmunjom.

The command released video clips lasting a total of around seven minutes showing the dramatic incident that happened at the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the truce village on Nov. 13.

The footage starts with a jeep speeding toward the so-called 72-hour bridge, at which point the CCTV timeline reads "2017-11-13 15:11." In the video, the jeep passes by a checkpoint in the direction of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) before making a quick right turn by a monument to Kim Il-sung, which is the starting point of the northern part of the JSA. The driver was apparently intending to cross the border by the car.

After its wheel apparently came loose, however, the soldier, clad in a Korean People's Army (KPA) uniform, exited it and dashed toward the South.

Four North Korean guards, armed with pistols and rifles, immediately pursued him several meters behind, opening fire.

The defector was shot five times, with some of the gunshots flying over the MDL. A North Korean guard also crossed the MDL for a few seconds and then returned to the North's side.

The UNC stressed that the North Korean troops' acts were in breach of the Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War.

"The key findings of the special investigation team are that the KPA violated the Armistice Agreement by one, firing weapons across the MDL, and two, by actually crossing the MDL temporarily," U.S. Army Col. Chad Carroll, UNC's public affairs chief, said at a briefing.

Those high ranking officers were in charge of the guards and punished as a result of this escape. Kim is only consolidating his grip on power

Nope. Consolidating his grip on power yes but not to do with this incident.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/2-top-north-korean-military-officers-punished/ar-BBFsCWf?li=BBqdg4K

This is one lucky man. He survived probably because the N Koreans are not well trained and cannot do anything without orders.

I wish him a long and healthy life.

Many N. Koreans haverelatives in S. Korea. One thing good for him is S. Korean hospitals are more advanced than where he came from..

Glad he's recovering slowly from his serious wounds and also from the parasites they removed, those things were huge and he had a lot of them (gross) just insane how their leader can dine and receive the best of the best food, the best choice and the best of everything and his people have to eat the worst of foods or whatever they can find and use their own excrements to fertilize the ground, just beyond sad.

Also to note it is quite possible they were not trying to shoot him down, but pretend they are. Some bullets did hit, but that was not another retarded action film scene, if they really wanted to hit him, they would. Regime =\= peoples' mind.

Except that they did hit him, multiple times, and almost killed him. There was no 'pretending'. The notion of aiming for non-vital body parts is a myth from one of your 'retarded action film scenes'. The guy is lucky to be alive and pretty damn brave.

Following the example, I suspect we might see a lot more of this, but I worry that they won't make it as far as this guy did.

WilliBNov. 22 05:46 pm JSTIf the guy has a family, they will all spend the rest of their lives in the living hell of a NK concentration camp. That is the main deterrent for defectors.

I hope this guy can live with his conscience.

Are you suggesting that anyone who may have family in NK accept that they are held hostage and should never attempt to escape?

Parasites, - and he was a soldier which is a privileged position in NK - says a great deal about the health of the North Korean people - sadly.

Their are many countries I would not want to live in but NK seems to be at the top of the list now days.

Who paid for all this? If there was peace, this wouldn’t happen.

Who paid for all this?

How is that relevant? Saving the guy's life is the top priority, regardless of where he comes from.

How is that relevant? Saving the guy's life is the top priority, regardless of where he comes from.

when the american invasion of NK happens, there will be around 10million refugees. many suffering burns and radiation sickness. the US military must provide at least 500,000 helicopters to fly them to hospitals in SK, Japan, Guam Hawaii or US mainland. then provide treatment for the 10million refugees.

I wonder whether all the refugees will be as warmly welcomed as this unfortunate man?