North Korean Troops Violated Truce While Chasing Defector, U.N. Command Says<br />21, 2017<br />SEOUL, South Korea — Fully armed North Korean troops violated the truce<br />that halted the 1950-53 Korean War when they fired weapons across the border last week while chasing a fellow Communist soldier defecting to South Korea, the United Nations Command said on Wednesday.<br />The command also released closed-circuit television footage<br />that illustrated the North Korean’s dramatic defection through the Joint Security Area north of Seoul, the South Korean capital, on Nov. 13.<br />When the vehicle did not stop at a North Korean guard post<br />and drove into the North Korean side of the Joint Security Area, Communist troops wearing helmets and carrying sidearms and rifles poured out of their buildings.<br />Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, an American who leads the United Nations Command, said his troops had acted "in a manner<br />that is consistent with the armistice agreement, namely — to respect the demilitarized zone and to take actions that deter a resumption of hostilities." He added, "The armistice agreement was challenged, but it remains in place." North Korea has not yet commented on the defection.<br />Footage of the actual escape by a North Korean soldier into South Korea, as seen from South Korean side.<br />The American-led United Nations Command, which oversees the armistice, notified the North Korean People’s Army of its findings<br />and demanded a meeting to discuss ways to prevent future violations, the command said in a statement.
