Military officials reported that a North Korean soldier crossed into South Korea’s 22nd Infantry Division area in the border town of Goseong, Gangwon-do, on the morning of Aug 20., expressing a desire to defect. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated, “We detected the individual north of the Military Demarcation Line using our surveillance equipment and carried out standard procedures to secure custody of the individual.” The JCS added that there have been no unusual movements from the North Korean military so far.
The soldier was detected by South Korean forces early in the morning, walking south along a trail near the Donghae road on the east coast. North Korea has recently been laying mines and turning the area near the Donghae Line into a barren zone to prevent defections. A military official noted, “The individual did not travel via the railway but was spotted in an open area close to it.”
Despite the intensified mine-laying efforts by North Korean authorities aimed at preventing military personnel and civilians from fleeing to the South, the soldier managed to defect successfully.
Since April, North Korea has reportedly deployed thousands of troops daily to about ten locations near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to create barren zones, lay mines, and install anti-tank barriers, in an effort to reinforce their “borderline.” Last month, South Korean military authorities revealed that these mine-laying operations led to over ten landmine explosions, resulting in numerous casualties.
Speculation has arisen that the loudspeaker broadcasts from the South Korean military, fully operational across all fronts since July 21., may have influenced the defection. In response to North Korea’s trash balloon provocations, the South Korean military has been broadcasting via loudspeakers daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. since July 18. A military official commented, “We cannot rule out the impact of the loudspeaker broadcasts.”
On Aug 8, a North Korean civilian defected by crossing to Gyodong Island through the neutral zone in the Han River estuary.
