N. Korean soldier fights for life after crossing into S. Korea

A North Korean soldier was fighting for his life Tuesday in a South Korean hospital as new details emerged from his brazen dash for freedom across the Demilitarized Zone.

The blitz across one of the world’s most closely patrolled borders — the first such military defection in a decade — has riveted the region with elements that read like a scene from a movie, including the soldier being shot five times by his countrymen as he ran south on Monday.

The soldier drove a jeep toward a guard post in the Joint Security Area just after 3 p.m. on Monday, said Col. Roh Jae-cheon, a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the wheels got stuck in a ditch.

Four North Korean soldiers chased after him, firing at least 40 rounds, officials said Tuesday after reviewing security camera footage from the border.