North Korean defector swims to South Korea, tied to plastic
The North Korean managed to swim across the de facto maritime border off the western coast of the
Korean peninsula on the night of July 30, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday.
The border is known as the Northern Limit Line and has occasionally served as a route for North Korean defectors swimming to South Korea's Ganghwa Island.
'The military identified the individual near the north of the mid-river boundary,' a military official told reporters.
The individual, whom local media reported was tied to styrofoam when he was found, waved for help and said he wanted to defect to South Korea when asked by a South Korean naval officer, the official said.
The operation took about 10 hours, according to Seoul, and the individual was rescued at around 4am on last Thursday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Standard
11 hours ago
- The Standard
South Korea special prosecutor seeks detention warrant for ex-first lady
South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee arrives at the special prosecutor's office in Seoul, South Korea, August 6, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
South China Morning Post
14 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
North Korean defector swims to South Korea, tied to plastic
North Korean defector who swam across a sea border with South Korea while reportedly tied to floating plastic has been rescued and taken into custody, according to Seoul authorities. The North Korean managed to swim across the de facto maritime border off the western coast of the Korean peninsula on the night of July 30, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday. The border is known as the Northern Limit Line and has occasionally served as a route for North Korean defectors swimming to South Korea's Ganghwa Island. 'The military identified the individual near the north of the mid-river boundary,' a military official told reporters. The individual, whom local media reported was tied to styrofoam when he was found, waved for help and said he wanted to defect to South Korea when asked by a South Korean naval officer, the official said. The operation took about 10 hours, according to Seoul, and the individual was rescued at around 4am on last Thursday.
South China Morning Post
16 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Drunk Japan man jumps into sea to retrieve phone, survives after floating on back for 4 hours
A drunk Japanese man shocked Chinese social media after he jumped into the sea to retrieve his phone and had to be rescued after drifting for more than four hours on his back. Advertisement The incident unfolded on July 27, when a 27-year-old man from Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, in the southern part of Japan's Honshu Island, was strolling and drinking on the Kurashiki Port Bridge. Around midnight, while trying to photograph the night scenery with his mobile phone, he accidentally dropped it off the bridge. The man dropped his phone off a bridge into choppy waters, then jumped in to try to get it back. Photo: Shutterstock Impaired by alcohol, he leapt into the sea at the mouth of the Takahashi River in an attempt to retrieve it. Despite the dangerous conditions, the man managed to stay afloat. He later told the police: 'I originally wanted to swim back to shore, but the current was too strong. All I could do was try my best to float and wait for rescue.' Advertisement His ordeal came to an end four and a half hours later, when the coastguard received an emergency call from crew members at the nearby Mizushima Port.
