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Seoul — South Korean troops said on Sunday that they had crossed a highly fortified border in a rare asylum to North Korea.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it conducted a search after detecting a person on Saturday at about 9:20 pm (7:20 ET) on the east side of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates the two South Koreas. ..
“We confirmed that the person crossed the border of the military demarcation line at around 10:40 pm (8:40 ET) and went into exile to the north,” JCS said.
JCS said it could not confirm whether the person was alive, but sent a notice calling for protection to North Korea via a military hotline.
The border crossing, which is illegal in South Korea, has not been confirmed to be infected because it has taken strict anti-coronavirus measures since North Korea closed its border in early 2020.
After the North Korean army shot and killed a South Korean fisherman who went missing at sea in September 2020, national and political turmoil broke out and North Korea blamed and apologized for anti-virus rules.
Two months ago, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared a national emergency and blocked the border town after a North Korean defector who stated that the symptoms of COVID-19 had illegally passed from south to north. did.
North Korea’s long-term blockade and restrictions on interstate movement have also pushed the number of North Korean defectors arriving in the South to a record low.
Cross-border relations have deteriorated after denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and Washington have stalled since the failure of the 2019 summit.
Since the Korean War of 1950-1953 ended with a military administration rather than a peace treaty, South Korean and US-led UN forces have technically continued the war with North Korea.
Shin Hyun Hee
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