one particular person smuggled in from the South

An unidentified particular person entered North Korea by land from the South on New Yr’s Day, the South Korean military reported on Sunday (January 2), a particularly uncommon crossing of the ultra-fortified border that separates the 2 nations since 1953.

The person was detected on Saturday by surveillance gear within the « Demilitarized zone » (DMZ) which divides the Korean Peninsula at 9:20 p.m. native time, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Workers Committee reported. « It was confirmed that the particular person crossed the navy demarcation line to the north », provides the press launch.

The particular person has not but been recognized, a committee official mentioned, including that South Korean authorities have despatched a message to the North relating to the incident. A search operation was launched by the navy, with out end result. And no uncommon exercise on the a part of the North Korean navy was noticed, the assertion continued.

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Mines, barbed wire and big navy presence

Years of repression and poverty in North Korea led greater than 30,000 individuals to flee to the South within the many years following the Korean Struggle (1950-1953), however crossings within the different course are extraordinarily uncommon.

In 2020, North Korean troops shot lifeless and burned the physique of a South Korean fisheries official who Pyongyang mentioned had illegally crossed the ocean border.

The overwhelming majority of North Koreans who escape first go to China earlier than heading south, normally through one other nation. Just a few have dared to cross the DMZ, riddled with mines and barbed wire, the place the navy presence is very large on either side.

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The World with AFP