It was back in 2007 when the last North Korean actually made it to South Korea. There have been many attempts and those who have succeeded have mostly escaped to China. It is tough to imagine how difficult life is in North Korea. And Kim doesn’t tolerate people crossing across to the South.
Almost over a decade later, on 13th November, 2017, a North Korean soldier finally had a plan, and more importantly, the courage, to actually travel across what must be the most dangerous and the most militarized border on Earth to make it into South Korea.
The entire daring and dramatic scene was caught on tape. Check out the video:
The soldier – who is only known by his last name, Oh – drove his car past a North Korean check point to a bridge that has a gate leading to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). It is a line that divides North Korea from South.
His car hit a dead end, so he decided to go on foot. But a response team of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) was ready to engage him. As he ran towards the other side of the border, they started firing at him. One North Korean soldier of the KPA even crossed the line briefly in pursuit, before turning back.
Oh was hit 5 times while trying to evade the 40 bullets fired at him. Tired, wounded and bleeding, he managed to climb a wall across to the South Korean side and collapsed there.
He was taken to a nearby hospital in the town of Suwon by South Korean troops and regained consciousness after 9 days.
He was still in disbelief when he woke up in the hospital and even asked the staff to prove that he was in South Korea by changing the TV channels. The doctor even presented him with a South Korean flag to confirm.
It simply goes to show how tough life is within North Korean walls and the lengths a man would go to escape. Tensions, like always, run high between the two countries. But at least Oh has a shot at a better life.