A North Korean defector flees to freedom under a barrage of gunfire


 Warning: Some viewers might find the above video disturbing.

It's the stuff of action movie climaxes, but IRL. 

A new video captured by the United Nations Command depicts a North Korean soldier defecting by crossing the "Joint Security Area" (JSA) of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The gunfire that the escape attempt drew is a violation of the truce between North and South Korea, the first such violation since a similar escape attempt in 1984.

In the video, the former soldier flees by military jeep. But when he gets stuck in a ditch right on the border, the soldier — whose last name is Oh, according to Stars and Stripes — sprints from the driver's seat and attempts to run. His former fellow soldiers rain bullets on him, and he gets shot multiple times. South Korean soldiers eventually crawl through the JSA and drag him to safety. 

According to Stars and Stripes, the South Korean Unification Ministry, which monitors relations with the North, says it's only the third time a soldier has ever tried to escape via the JSA, with previous attempts in 2007 and 1998. In 1984, a Russian tourist attempt resulted in a gun battle between North and South Korean forces. 

The JSA is supposed to remain a neutral location free of violence, per the terms of the truce. And in the video, in addition to the shots fired in the JSA, a North Korean soldier pursuing the defector actually crosses in to the South, which is another violation. Luckily, nothing has escalated since.

Oh is now recovering in a hospital in Suwon, a city south of Seoul. Apparently he really likes watching American shows like 

Comments

  1. 6 North Korean military officers have that bad of an aim LOL ( So glad he made it out !) Welcome to FREEDOM Sir !

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  2. To everyone who thinks bombing this country or assassinating its leader is the way to go - look at this guy. He’s willing to be shot trying to get out. Imagine what a mass exodus would be like if everything comes down.

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  3. I wonder how many of those dudes that were after him, were thinking of dropping their gun and going with him.

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  4. Apparently the man also had an enormous intestinal worm that was found when he was being treated for his wounds in South Korea. He would've likely died in a few months. Glad he made it.

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  5. Seems a bit staged? Why was it being filmed and how did they know to film at the very time he was escaping? Who was filming it and what’s with the Stars and Stripes logo at the start of the video?

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  6. What if in reality
    He stole confidential military files of NK

    Well we can never know

    What if he was just test driving and lost the break and the only way he can go is forward

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  7. Yes freedom for him but I hope he has no relatives left behind in North Korea. I'd fear for them under that regime.

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  8. You can just drive a car out of North Korea??

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  10. The footage is interesting, not intense.

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  11. Lol rifle marksmanship trainer in North Korea gettingfire af.

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  12. Haha who was teaching these guys how to shoot don't stand a chance

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  13. He made it! shot 5 times but he is recovering.

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  14. Actual footage of me trying to leave work early.

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  15. He made it. I love happy endings. ������

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  16. He made it alive?????

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  17. “Yearning to breath free”

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  18. https://media1.tenor.co/images/e8448e43bfbaf607734ff87c1cddf844/tenor.gif?itemid=5690497

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  19. Run for your life a success

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