N Korean soldier shot while defecting to the South

SEOUL: A North Korean soldier was shot and injured by his own side on Monday while defecting to South Korea at the border truce village of Panmunjom, the South’s military said. The soldier, thought to be low ranking, was shot in the shoulder and elbow and was picked up bleeding on the South side of a portion of the border known as the Joint Security Area. It is rare for the North’s troops to defect at the truce village, a major tourist attraction.