North Korea Replaces Guards, Fortifies Site Where Defector Made His Daring Escape

Earlier this week, we noted the incredible video footage from the tense Korean Demilitarized Zone depicting one North Korean soldier’s desperate dash into the South as his former comrades unleashed a hail of bullets.
United Nations Command released CCTV footage Tuesday of the 20-something-year-old suspected staff sergeant fleeing his desolate country, first in a jeep and then on foot, with North Korean soldiers in hot pursuit. The man crossed into South Korea at the Joint Security Area while his comrades chased after him, firing on him as he ran.

In response to the high-profile defection – marking the first time in recent years where a soldier actually made it across the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas – North Korea has reportedly replaced between 35 and 40 guards and soldiers who were guarding the border at the time of the defection. Meanwhile, it has also fortified the part of its border where the soldier crossed.