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Defector soldier 'committed murder in North Korea': report

  (Agence France-Presse)
Seoul, South Korea
Tue, January 23, 2018 Published on Jan. 23, 2018 Published on 2018-01-23T12:03:11+07:00

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This screengrab made from video footage released by the United Nations Command on November 22, 2017 shows North Korea soldiers gathering on the north side of the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) after the defection of a North Korean soldier. Dramatic footage of a North Korean soldier's defection released on Nov. 22 showed him racing across the border under fire from former comrades, and then being hauled to safety by South Korean troops. The defector, who ran across the border at the Panmunjom truce village on Nov. 13, was shot at least four times and has been recovering in a South Korean hospital. This screengrab made from video footage released by the United Nations Command on November 22, 2017 shows North Korea soldiers gathering on the north side of the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) after the defection of a North Korean soldier. Dramatic footage of a North Korean soldier's defection released on Nov. 22 showed him racing across the border under fire from former comrades, and then being hauled to safety by South Korean troops. The defector, who ran across the border at the Panmunjom truce village on Nov. 13, was shot at least four times and has been recovering in a South Korean hospital. (Agence France -Presse/Handout)

A

North Korean soldier who defected to the South under a hail of bullets in November has confessed to committing murder in the North, a news report said Tuesday.

South Korean officials said they had no comment, noting the questioning of the 24-year-old soldier had not yet wrapped up.

Oh, identified only by his surname, has told investigators that he had committed a crime involving murder in the North, the conservative Dong-A Ilbo daily said, citing an unidentified intelligence official.

The soldier's defection made headlines worldwide with footage showing him driving to the border at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone before dashing across as his comrades tried to kill him.

The soldier has been recovering in hospital from multiple gunshot wounds and doctors will decide this week whether to discharge him, Yonhap news agency said, in which case he will be transferred to an adaptation centre for defectors.

There is no extradition treaty between North and South Korea.

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