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Gen. Vincent Brooks, UN Commander, awarded a medal to US and ROK soldiers, including the head of the JSA Korean security forces, who participated in an operation to rescue a North Korean soldier who defected across the JSA in Panmunjom on Nov. 13. The two South Korean soldiers who rescued the North Korean defector are Sgt. 1st Class Noh Yeong-soo (second from left) and St. 1st Class Song Seung-hyeon (third from left.) Third from right is Lt. Col. Kwon Young-hwan, commander of the South Korean security detachment at the JSA. (Yonhap News)
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Commander and other senior officers likely to face disciplinary measures
Following the defection of a North Korean soldier on Nov. 13, North Korea has reportedly replaced all of its troops at the Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjeom. “Signs have been detected that the entire security detachment has been replaced following the defection of a North Korean soldier at Panmunjeom. In light of this replacement, it seems nearly certain that the commander and other senior officers will be disciplined,” said a source in the South Korean military on Nov. 23. The replacement of the security detachment seems designed to hold the North Korean troops responsible for failing to prevent the detection and to restore order after the disturbance. The North Korean security detachment at the JSA reportedly consists of 35 soldiers, including officers. North Korea also appears to have closed the 72-Hour Bridge over the Sacheon River on the west side of the JSA. On Nov. 13, the defecting soldier drove over the bridge in a military jeep and raced all the way to just in front of the military demarcation line inside Panmunjeom. The South Korean military believes that North Korea has temporarily shut down the bridge so that it can set up a gate that can be locked. This incident appears to have motivated efforts to reinforce control over vehicles that are passing in and out of Panmunjeom. In related news, Gen. Vincent Brooks, Commander of UN Command and US Forces Korea, awarded the Army Commendation Medal to six South Korean and American soldiers to recognize them for successfully carrying out a rescue operation for the North Korean defector. The South Korean soldiers thus honored are Lt. Col. Kwon Young-hwan, commander of the South Korean security detachment battalion at the JSA; Sgt. 1st Class Song Seung-hyeon, who is scheduled for promotion to Master Sergeant; and Sgt. 1st Class Noh Yeong-soo. After the North Korean defector was shot and collapsed on the southern side of Panmunjeom on Nov. 13, these three soldiers moved him to safety. By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
