N KOREAN SOLDIER SHOT WHILE DEFECTING TO SOUTH

SEOUL: A North Korean soldier was shot and wounded on Monday by the country’s army as he was defecting to the South through the demilitarised zone, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The wounded soldier was taken to a South Korean hospital for treatment, Efe news reported. The incident occurred at the Joint Security Area, the only portion of the demilitarised zone where troops from the two countries, who have technically been at war for almost 70 years, stand face-to-face. The JCS said that the South Korean Army has increased its alert level in anticipation of possible North Korean provocations.