North Korean Soldier’s Path to Panmunjom Truce Village

The soldier defected by driving a green military-style vehicle past a North Korean checkpoint and across the so-called 72-Hour Bridge before speeding toward the military demarcation line and safety at Panmunjom. His vehicle then became stuck, and he ran while North Korean soldiers fired across the line, hitting him least four times. The man collapsed on the American and South Korean side before being rescued by soldiers and taken to a hospital.

Soldier Drives to JSA

1

1

NORTH KOREA

SOUTH KOREA

Passes checkpoint

Approximate Boder

Fellow soldiers

run after vehicle

3

4

2

5

2

Vehicle stuck feet

from border; runs

Collapses;

rescued

3

North Korean

soldiers fire

4

5

NORTH KOREA

Soldier Drives to JSA

1

1

Passes checkpoint

Approximate Boder

Fellow soldiers

run after vehicle

3

4

2

5

2

Vehicle stuck feet

from border; runs

SOUTH KOREA

Collapses;

rescued

3

North Korean

soldiers fire

4

5

Soldier’s Path

NORTH KOREA

SOUTH KOREA

Approximate Boder

Zoomed view

2

3

1

4

Fellow soldiers

run after vehicle

Vehicle stuck feet

from border; runs

1

2

N.K. Soldiers fire

Defector collapses;

rescued

3

4