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South Korea says it fired 20 warning shots as soldiers from the North approached border
The Associated Press
Posted: Dec 20, 2017 10:18 PM ET
Last Updated: Dec 20, 2017 10:18 PM ET
South Korea says it fired warning shots after a North Korean soldier safely defected to the South via a portion of the heavily fortified border rarely visited by outsiders.
North Korean soldiers have occasionally fled through the land border. But Thursday’s defection came nearly 40 days after another North Korean soldier crossed the jointly controlled area at the border amid a barrage of bullets fired by comrades. He was shot multiple times and remains hospitalized in South Korea.
South Korea says it fired 20 warning shots as North Korean soldiers approached a military demarcation line at the border.
Yonhap news agency says there were sounds of gunfire from the North after the warning shots. South Korea’s Defence Ministry couldn’t immediately confirm the report.
It says the motive for the defection is under investigation.
About 30,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea mostly via China since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
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