--- description: North Korea has fortified the spot on its border with the South where one of its soldiers made a dramatic dash for freedom early on Nov. 13 title: North Korea Is Fortifying the Spot Where a Solider Made a Dramatic Dash to the South image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b23dca785ed924f/6988e6ee7cdbac6d14d5aff5/gettyimages-877267602.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [North Korea](/tag/north-korea/) ## North Korea Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # North Korea Is Fortifying the Spot Where a Solider Made a Dramatic Dash to the South by [Tara John](/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 27, 2017 2:25 PM CUT  A surveillance TV footage containing the moment of defection of a North Korean Soldier, is seen during a press briefing by the United Nations Command at the Defence Ministry in Seoul on November 22, 2017. A surveillance TV footage containing the moment of defection of a North Korean Soldier, is seen during a press briefing by the United Nations Command at the Defence Ministry in Seoul on November 22, 2017.Jung Yeon Je—AFP/Getty Images by [Tara John](/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 27, 2017 2:25 PM CUT [North Korea](http://time.com/5036281/north-korea-japan-fishermen/ "undefined") has fortified the spot on its border with South Korea where one of its soldiers [made a dramatic defection dash](http://time.com/5034562/north-korea-defector-video/ "undefined") earlier this month. The Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Marc Knapper, posted a photograph that showed a group of workers digging a trench where the defector jumped out of his vehicle and bolted across the demilitarized zone, or DMZ. “The North Koreans have planted two trees and are digging a trench at the spot where their soldier crossed the MDL \[military demarcation line\],” Knapper wrote. > [](https://twitter.com/MarcKnapper/status/933248921492586497) > [](https://twitter.com/MarcKnapper/status/933758303707922432) The United Nations released security camera footage of the escape last week, which showed a soldier running out of a vehicle after getting stuck in a ditch. He is then seen being shot by other North Korean soldiers as he runs across the joint security area (JSA). Later, he is dragged to safety by South Korean forces after collapsing near a wall. The defector was shot five times during his defection run. He is currently in stable condition and is undergoing operations to remove parasitic worms and treat his wounds, Lee Cook-jong, a surgeon at Ajou University Hospital, [told The _Guardian_](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/27/north-korea-fortifies-part-of-border-where-defector-escaped "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5037710/north-korea-defection-site/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5037710/north-korea-defection-site/"},"headline":"North Korea Is Fortifying the Spot Where a Solider Made a Dramatic Dash to the South","datePublished":"2017-11-27T14:25:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:21:14.870Z","description":"The soldier was shot five times during his defection run","url":"https://time.com/5037710/north-korea-defection-site/","keywords":["North Korea","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b23dca785ed924f/6988e6ee7cdbac6d14d5aff5/gettyimages-877267602.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tara John","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tara-john/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b23dca785ed924f/6988e6ee7cdbac6d14d5aff5/gettyimages-877267602.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A surveillance TV footage containing the moment of defection of a North Korean Soldier, is seen during a press briefing by the United Nations Command at the Defence Ministry in Seoul on November 22, 2017.","caption":"A surveillance TV footage containing the moment of defection of a North Korean Soldier, is seen during a press briefing by the United Nations Command at the Defence Ministry in Seoul on November 22, 2017.","creditText":"Jung Yeon Je—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/north-korea/","name":"North Korea"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5037710/north-korea-defection-site/","name":"North Korea Is Fortifying the Spot Where a Solider Made a Dramatic Dash to the South"}}]}] ```