Releasing dramatic footage that showed a North Korean soldier defecting to South Korea under heavy fire from his former compatriots, the United Nations Command said Wednesday the chasing North Korean soldiers had violated the armistice agreement of the Korean War twice.
According to security camera footage, four North Korean soldiers armed with guns and rifles aimed shots at the defecting soldier, with one of them doing so in a prone position. They continued shooting even after he crossed the Military Demarcation Line, the de facto border between the two Koreas.
Another violation occurred when one of the chasing soldiers, who appeared to carry an AK-47 assault rifle, temporarily crossed the borderline for a few seconds before turning back to the North’s territory inside the Joint Security Area, the UNC added.
“The armistice agreement was challenged, but it remains in place,” said UNC Commander Vincent K. Brooks, who doubles as commander of the United States Forces in South Korea and Combined Forces Command between the US and South Korea.
The armistice agreement that halted the 1950-153 Korean War stipulates that any person -- military or civilian -- is prohibited from crossing the Military Demarcation Line or MDL unless specifically authorized to do so by the Military Armistice Commission.
A North Korean soldier, who chased his former compatriot defecting to South Korea, turned back to the North’s territory inside the Joint Security Area after temporarily crossing the borderline for a few seconds. Yonhap
As it is in charge of operational control inside the JSA, the UNC said it had notified the North Korean People’s Army of these violations and requested a meeting to discuss the investigation results and measures to prevent future violations.
But the prospect of holding such talks remains unclear, military officials said, as North Korea has shut down its communication channels with the UNC and South Korea. Cross-border military talks have been halted since 2009. North Korea had yet to respond to the request as of Wednesday afternoon.
“The measure will be dealt with through relevant international regulations and legal proceedings,” said South Korea’s Unification Ministry spokesman Baek Tae-hyun during a press briefing, without elaborating on the procedures.
Based on an analysis of CCTV footage and satellite images, the North Korean solider is thought to have driven his jeep at about 70 kph before running more than 50 meters toward the South while being chased by fellow soldiers.
Appearing to be caught off guard, the North Korean soldiers came from guard towers -- some from Panmungak inside the JSA --- and ran toward the location of the vehicle, which was stuck in a ditch north of the MDL.
The wounded soldier jumped out of the jeep and started running toward the South while four North Korean soldiers started shooting at him. The wounded soldier was found by a building near the Freedom House inside the South Korea-controlled part of the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone.
Lying against a wall on a pile of leaves, the defector was rescued by three South Korean soldiers who crawled to him. One of them was identified as the South Korean deputy JSA commander, while two of them were noncommissioned officers. The US commander was directing overall rescue efforts, the UNC said.
The rescue efforts demonstrated “considerable courage and self-discipline” during the urgent situation in a volatile area where small-scale skirmish can escalate into major conflicts, said US Army Col. Chad Carroll, the UNC’s public affairs chief, during the briefing.
“The action taken by (the JSA security) battalion was in a manner that is consistent with (the) armistice agreement,” he said “(The battalion) demonstrated appropriate, self-disciplined and sound decision making at a time when the situation on the ground was not nearly as clear as we can see on the video.”
