[Comprehensive] The Defector to North Korea Was a Defector from South Korea One Year Ago... No Apparent Charges of Anti-State Activities

A soldier conducting an ambush operation in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the central-eastern front was killed by his own firearm discharge, prompting the military authorities to launch an investigation.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been revealed that the defector who crossed over the front-line fence on the eastern front on New Year's Day is the same individual who defected to the South by jumping over the fence into the same unit just over a year ago. Since the defector not only passed through the Civilian Control Line but also crossed the Military Demarcation Line fence, moving between the North and South as if it were his own home, criticism regarding the lax management of the defector's personal security is expected to follow.

On the 3rd, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "As a result of a joint investigation with related agencies, the defector who crossed the 22nd Division's General Outpost (GOP) fence on the 1st is presumed to be Mr. A, a man in his 30s who defected to the same unit in November 2020, and this is being confirmed. However, it has been determined that there is no suspicion of espionage."

The Ministry of National Defense said, "Around noon on the 1st, CCTV installed in the Civilian Control Line area captured Mr. A moving, and it was judged that his appearance matches that of Mr. A who defected in 2020."

It has been reported that Mr. A has not been in contact with the police managing his personal security since the 30th of last month. Mr. A is known to have recently worked as a cleaning service worker.

Mr. A defected by crossing the 22nd Division fence in early November 2020. During the investigation by intelligence authorities after his defection, he stated that he had a background in gymnastics. At that time, authorities reportedly deployed South Korean personnel to verify Mr. A's statement by having him perform demonstrations twice. Mr. A is relatively small in stature, weighing about 50 kg and being short, which is believed to have enabled him to relatively easily climb over the approximately 3-meter-high fence.

The military and intelligence authorities presume that there are no abnormalities regarding the defector's personal status. It is known that when the defector entered the DMZ, three North Korean soldiers made contact with him and took him to the North. The Ministry of National Defense sent two notifications to the North via the West Sea military communication line the day before for the purpose of protecting Mr. A's personal security, and it is reported that the North responded indicating they had "received them well."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff dispatched 17 personnel, including the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Readiness Inspection Office, to the site to investigate whether there was any initial mishandling and to trace Mr. A's movement route. The results are expected as early as the 4th.

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