The South Korean Ministry of Defense said on Monday that the man who discovered that he had invaded North Korea across the eastern north-south border on Sunday is presumed to be a North Korean defector who had previously entered South Korea on the same route. ..
On Sunday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) found an unidentified person across the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates South Korea from South Korea at around 9:20 am and urged the military to conduct a search. Said. To catch the person who failed.
According to JCS, the person crossed the military demarcation line and was confirmed to have been exiled to North Korea at around 10:40 pm.
The military also discovered from surveillance equipment that a man had climbed a barbed wire fence and entered the DMZ around 6:40 pm on Saturday. This indicates that the breach was not noticed until 9:20 pm.
Yonhap News said, “I think the initial response was not enough for some of the efforts. I think we should have done more aggressively.” report..
South Korea has informed North Korea of the crossing of the border, but said it has not received a reply yet.
The man was later identified as a North Korean defector, but his identity has not yet been confirmed, Yonhap reported.
“Authorities estimate that the person is a North Korean defector and is in the process of examining the relevant facts,” the ministry said on Monday.
According to surveillance footage, the man was found to be the same North Korean defector who entered South Korea on the Eastern Front in November 2020. It is believed that the man came to South Korea to work as a cleaner.
Officials also said no evidence of espionage had been found so far.
Border crossings, which are illegal in South Korea, have arisen because of strict anti-coronavirus measures, even though North Korea has not confirmed infection since it closed its borders in early 2020.
In September 2020, South Korean troops reported that South Korean fisheries officials were shot dead by North Korean troops after attempting to escape to North Korea. His body was later burned by the army.
North Korea later said shooting was a self-defense measure amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer featuring the Epoch Times Asia Pacific News.