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A guard post (GP) in Goseong County, Gangwon Province, that was preserved for historical value in accordance with the Sept. 19 inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement in 2018. The Goseong GP pictured is less than 580 meters from its counterpart in the North. The individual who recently crossed the border into North Korea is known to have passed this GP when crossing the Military Demarcation Line. (photo pool)

South Korean authorities say the person who crossed the border into North Korea on Jan. 1 is presumed to be an individual who previously defected from North Korea, whose name is being withheld, and that they’re currently verifying the facts of the situation.

“[The individual] is a man in his early 30s who defected in November 2020 by crossing over the Military Demarcation Line in Goseong County, Gangwon Province. The reason we presume that it was [he] who crossed the border is that he was spotted by security cameras at the Civilian Control Line near Goseong County around noon on Jan. 1,” an official with the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday.

The individual in question scaled a barbed wire fence at a general outpost around 6:40 pm on Jan. 1 and crossed the Military Demarcation Line around 10:40 pm that same day. The last known contact with the individual was made on Dec. 29.

“The authorities have learned that the person caught on the security camera was identical both in appearance and attire to [the defector], and his face can be identified with the naked eye,” the ministry official said.

The Military Demarcation Line lies two kilometers (1.2 miles) into the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, beyond a barbed wire fence that marks the southern limit of the DMZ. A Civilian Control Line has also been set up 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Military Demarcation Line for military operations and security purposes. While civilians are strictly prohibited from entering the DMZ, most are allowed to cross the Civilian Control Line after showing identification at a guard post.

“Goseong County was where this individual crossed the border into South Korea and then back over into North Korea, but I’m told he didn’t use the same route,” the ministry official explained.

“I understand that he wasn’t suspected of being a spy, and the details are being confirmed by the relevant authorities,” the official said.

The authorities believe that the individual in question was not likely to have been working for the North Korean authorities because the job he got after settling in South Korea didn’t give him access to military information. Other factors were that he’d missed home and had trouble adjusting to life in the South and that he’d often complained to his friends about his circumstances.

“I don’t have any information confirming whether [he] had been an athlete in artistic gymnastics in North Korea as some newspapers have reported,” the official said.

At the time of his defection in November 2020, the man reportedly said he’d studied artistic gymnastics at school.

“We sent two messages to North Korea, one on Sunday morning and one on Sunday afternoon, asking for the North to guarantee the safety [of the individual who crossed the border]. The North Koreans confirmed receipt of the messages, so it’s not correct to say that they haven’t responded,” the National Defense Ministry official stated.

“We’re still waiting to receive an answer about guaranteeing [the individual’s] safety,” the ministry official continued.

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter

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