Possibility That the Frontline Defector Is a 'Defector from North Korea 1 Year Ago'

▲A sergeant who had completed guard duty at the frontmost GOP (General Outpost) on the eastern front line opened fire on fellow soldiers, resulting in a tragedy where five people died.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Military authorities are investigating the possibility that the unidentified person who defected to North Korea from the front line in Gangwon Province on the 1st was a defector from a year ago.

On the 3rd, a government official explained, "The unidentified person who defected to North Korea this time is being confirmed as Mr. A, a defector who came to our side through the so-called 'defection by book' in November 2020."

At that time, Mr. A reportedly stated during a joint interrogation by relevant authorities that he was a 'gymnastics' athlete in North Korea. If Mr. A is finally confirmed as the defector to the North, it seems inevitable that there will be criticism for failing the border defense twice through similar routes. It also reveals another loophole in the management of defectors' personal safety.

Meanwhile, the military first recognized the defection of one person presumed to be a South Korean citizen around 9:20 p.m. the previous day when detected within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The military detected the defector in the DMZ using thermal observation devices (TOD) and deployed operational forces but failed to secure the individual. The defector was finally confirmed to have crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) into North Korea at around 10:40 p.m., 1 hour and 20 minutes after being detected in the DMZ.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.