A North Korean soldier fled his country through the DMZ on Thursday, prompting an exchange of gunfire between North and South Korean troops.
The “low-ranking” soldier appeared in front of a guard post on the mid-western front at around 8:04 a.m. amid thick fog, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
Following the soldier’s defection, North Korean troops approached the Demarcation Line (DML) apparently in search of the missing troop.
In response, South Korean troops fired around 20 warning shots.
About 40 minutes later, there was the sound of several gunshots from the North but no bullets were found to have crossed the border.
In a separate announcement, the Unification Ministry said that two North Korean citizens aboard a small wooden boat defected to South Korea on Wednesday. [source]
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