<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A North Korean border patrol guard escaped to China on July
\n20, putting Chinese patrol units and public security forces near the Sino-North Korean border area on high alert, Daily NK has learned.
\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe border patrol soldier, based in Onsong County, North
\nHamgyong Province, escaped across the Tumen River on Wednesday (July 20) at
\napproximately 4 p.m.,\u201d a source close to North Korean affairs in China told
\nDaily NK on July 22. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe soldier is an unarmed male believed to be around 20
\nyears old. He was spotted in Kaishantun, China–a town across the Tumen River
\nfrom Onsong County, North Korea. China\u2019s border patrol units were
\ndispatched to the area after receiving a tip from a resident, but the soldier slipped
\naway and his whereabouts are unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Chinese resident who spotted the young guard near a well in
\nKaishantun reported the information to Chinese public security forces. China\u2019s
\nMinistry of Public Security offers financial rewards to Chinese citizens,
\nparticularly those residing in locales straddling the North Korean border, who
\nreport North Korean defectors to the government. <\/p>\n
More recently, remuneration for such reports has increased. \u201cPublic announcements instructing the public to report
\nillegal border entry are especially pervasive near the Longjing City area,\u201d a
\nseparate source in the region, also aware of the situation surrounding the soldier in question, explained. \u201cBecause the [Chinese] public security
\nforces are offering up to 20,000 RMB (3,000 USD) [to informants], vulnerable parties are fraught with anxiety, expecting Chinese residents to become more proactive about
\nreporting [them].\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that while the soldier’s location remains unknown,
\nthe issue of the special alert increases the likelihood of his imminent
\napprehension, and expressed grave concerns for his fate thereafter. <\/p>\n
On July 22, Seoul\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Daily NK \u201cnothing
\nwas yet known\u201d about the soldier\u2019s defection.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A North Korean border patrol guard escaped to China on July 20, putting Chinese patrol units and public security forces near the Sino-North Korean border area on high alert, Daily NK has learned. \u201cThe border patrol soldier, based in Onsong County, North Hamgyong Province, escaped across the Tumen River on Wednesday (July 20) at approximately […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":32952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[645],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy"],"yoast_head":"\n