A former North Korean gymnast jumps over a 3-meter fence and escapes from North Korea
The Democratic People s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) have a military demarcation line based on the 38th parallel north. Among the politically and economically distressed North Koreans, there are many North Korean defectors who are aware of the risk of losing their lives if found and try to escape to South Korea beyond this military demarcation line. It is reported that a gymnast who escaped from North Korea by jumping over a fence with a height of 3 meters appeared.
'N. Korean who jumped border fence into South was gymnast'
North Korean Former Gymnast Hops Fence To Defect to South Korea: NPR
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/25/938737873/north-korean-former-gymnast-fled-to-south-korea-by-jumping-fence
Around 10 o'clock on November 4, 2020, a man in his late twenties was detained by South Korean troops within the area of an outpost within a few kilometers of the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The man came to South Korea from North Korea through the demilitarized zone around 19:00 on November 3rd.
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However, a fence of nearly 3 meters has been built between South Korea and North Korea. In addition, the North Korean side has installed land mines around the demilitarized zone in order not to miss North Korean defectors, and it seems that sensors that react when touched are attached to the fence.
According to local media Korea Herald, the man claims to be a former gymnast and testifies that he 'jumped over without touching the fence.' The man jumped twice at the same height as the fence to prove his claim.
by Stephen_AU
According to a South Korean military investigation, the fence that the man jumped over had a dented mark as if it had been pushed down, but it did not appear to have been modified or cut. Further investigation points out that the fence sensors may not have worked due to typhoon damage.
Officials suspect that the man's very light weight and his experience as a gymnast may have led to a successful North Korean defector.
The most recent case of North Korean defectors crossing the demilitarized zone was in November 2017, when a North Korean soldier blasted on a military truck while evading a gunfire and crossed the military demarcation line.
Video release of North Korean soldiers asylum = UN forces --YouTube
According to National Public Radio , a non-profit public media, a total of 33,523 North Korean defectors have been exiled to South Korea since the 1948 North-South division. There have been criticisms in South Korean society that the South Korean military has neglected to find a man for more than 12 hours after he defected.
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