South Korea, First Published Jan 3, 2022, 10:24 AM IST
The military says a South Korean citizen has crossed the border into North Korea. The South Korean military searched for hours but could not find the man. Seoul military officials say they do not know if the man is still alive. But a message has been sent to North Korea asking for his protection.
North Korea has implemented a shoot-on-site policy during the epidemic. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said they found the man in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas on the east coast around 21:20 (12:20 GMT) local time on Saturday.
Seoul defense officials have previously vowed to upgrade the border defense system after similar violations. In September 2020, a South Korean fisheries official who went missing at sea was shot dead by North Korean troops. The incident caused a stir. Pyongyang blamed the anti-virus rule and later apologized.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had earlier declared a national emergency and closed a city. The closure came after a man from the south came to the north with Kovid symptoms.
Lockdowns related to North Korea’s epidemic and restrictions on travel within the country have reduced the influx of people from the south. The border between North and South Korea is one of the strongest fortified areas in the world. It is littered with land mines, surrounded by electric fences, barbed wire fences and surveillance cameras, and is guarded by armed guards 24 hours a day.
Last Updated Jan 3, 2022 10:24 AM IST
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