North Korean soldier defects to South Korea on foot – DW – 08/20/2024

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea on Tuesday (08/20/2024) by crossing the eastern side of the military border between the two countries on foot.

The South’s army discovered the soldier – a first sergeant – inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that divides the two countries before he crossed the military demarcation line (MDL), which divides the DMZ.

The agency said the soldier crossed the military demarcation line near South Korea’s border province of Goseong (about 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul) and immediately expressed his intention to defect. Yonhap Citing sources from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The defection comes two weeks after another North Korean crossed into South Korea via a delta of two rivers on the western side and at a time marked by South Korean military propaganda broadcasts.

These programs broadcast criticism of Kim Jong Un’s government, call on North Korean citizens to defect, and convey information such as what kind of assistance a North Korean could receive upon arriving in the South.

The South Korean military resumed the emissions for the first time in six years last June in response to North Korea’s interference with GPS and the North’s sending of balloons laden with debris. These actions are in turn a response to balloons that activists have been sending into the North from the South to spread propaganda against Kim’s government.

Relations between the two Koreas are going through a very bad moment, especially after North Korea, which moved closer to Russia last year, declared the South its “main enemy” in January 2024 and rejected peaceful reunification.

As for (EFE, AFP, Reuters)