합참, 중부전선서 북한군 1명 확보...귀순 희망 / YTN

One North Korean Soldier Appears to Have Crossed Military Demarcation Line in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province Joint Interrogation by Relevant Agencies Currently Underway… "Hoped to Defect Immediately After Crossing" Second North Korean Soldier Defection Since the Launch of the Lee Jae-myung Administration [Anchor] The South Korean military announced that it secured custody of one North Korean soldier who crossed the central front line the night before last. It is reported that this North Korean soldier expressed a desire to defect immediately after being apprehended. Reporter Kim Moon-kyung reports. [Reporter] It was late at night when the South Korean military secured custody of the North Korean soldier who had crossed the Military Demarcation Line. The soldier in question is believed to have crossed the Military Demarcation Line in the Cheorwon area of ​​Gangwon Province. Currently, a joint interrogation is underway, centered around the National Intelligence Service and military intelligence agencies, to determine the circumstances of the crossing and whether the soldier wishes to defect. It is reported that during the investigation immediately after crossing, this North Korean soldier expressed a desire to defect. [Jang Do-young / Chief of Public Affairs, Joint Chiefs of Staff: Our military secured one North Korean soldier on the central front yesterday (the 23rd) at night, and relevant agencies are currently investigating the details.] If this is confirmed to be a defection, this marks the fourth defection by a North Korean resident or soldier since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, and the second defection by a soldier following last October. The area north of the Military Demarcation Line (MMD) through which this soldier crossed is one of the most active locations for North Korea's border-lineification efforts. Accordingly, it appears highly likely that the soldier in question sought to defect while working on these border-lineification projects. Following Chairman Kim Jong-un's directive to turn the area around the MMD into an impregnable fortress, the North Korean military has recently been installing barbed wire and planting landmines within 80 to 90 meters of the line. Our military has strongly criticized this as a violation of the Armistice Agreement, and with the North Korean soldier's defection coinciding with this, surveillance and readiness postures in the front-line areas are also being strengthened. This is Kim Moon-kyung ([email protected]) from YTN. Cameraman: Kang Young-gwan Video Editor: Yeon Jin-young YTN Kim Moon-kyung ([email protected]) ※ 'Your Tip Becomes News' [KakaoTalk] Search for YTN and add the channel [Phone] 02-398-8585 [Email] [email protected] ▶ Original Article: https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0101_202606... ▶ Send a Tip: https://mj.ytn.co.kr/mj/mj_write.php ▣ Subscribe to YTN YouTube Channel: http://goo.gl/Ytb5SZ ⓒ YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data are prohibited.