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Sinar Daily
a day ago
- Politics
- Sinar Daily
North Korean detained after crossing land border
North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening when they arrive in the South. 04 Jul 2025 10:33am People use umbrellas to shelter from heavy rain as they walk along Changjon Street in Pyongyang on June 20, 2025. (Photo by KIM Won Jin / AFP) SEOUL - A North Korean who crossed the heavily fortified land border into the South has been detained and taken into custody, Seoul's military said Friday. The North Korean managed to cross the Military Demarcation Line in the midwestern part of the Demilitarised Zone on Thursday, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. A person uses an umbrella to shelter from heavy rain as they walk along Changjon Street in Pyongyang on June 20, 2025. (Photo by KIM Won Jin / AFP) The MDL is the de facto border, which runs through the middle of the DMZ -- the border area separating the two Koreas, which is one of the most heavily mined places on earth. "The military identified the individual near the MDL, conducted tracking and surveillance," the JCS said in a statement. It then "successfully carried out a standard guiding operation to secure custody," it added. Seoul's military said "relevant authorities" will investigate the detailed circumstances of the incident. North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening when they arrive in the South. The incident comes after a wooden boat carrying four North Koreans drifted into waters south of the de facto maritime border in May. Another North Korean defected to the South across the de facto border in the Yellow Sea last year, arriving on Gyodong island off the peninsula's west coast near the border between the Koreas. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are rare. The number of successful escapes dropped significantly from 2020 after the North sealed its borders -- purportedly with shoot-on-sight orders along the land frontier with China -- to prevent the spread of Covid-19. South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who took office last month, has vowed a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang compared with his hawkish predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol. "Politics and diplomacy must be handled without emotion and approached with reason and logic," Lee said Thursday. "Completely cutting off dialogue is really a foolish thing to do." - AFP More Like This
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Runners fly to North Korea for first post-Covid Pyongyang Marathon
The last Pyongyang Marathon was held in 2019 (KIM Won Jin) Foreign amateur runners on Thursday flew out of Beijing for North Korea to race in the first Pyongyang Marathon in six years, an official travel agent said. The marathon is part of celebrations marking the birth of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung in 1912 and is the largest international sporting event in the reclusive country. Advertisement It is scheduled to take place on Sunday, offering a rare opportunity to run through the streets of the tightly controlled capital. The last edition of the Pyongyang Marathon was held in 2019, after which it was suspended because of the pandemic, which prompted the nuclear-armed state to seal its borders in an effort to quell the virus. With North Korea tentatively reopening, foreign participants departed from the Chinese capital on a six-day visit organised by Koryo Tours. The travel agency specialises in trips to North Korea and describes itself as the exclusive travel partner of the marathon. "Participants departed today," an agency official told AFP. Advertisement A group of foreigners was seen boarding an Air Koryo commercial flight from Beijing to Pyongyang in a video posted on the company's Instagram account. "The Pyongyang Marathon is an extremely unique experience as it provides an opportunity to interact with locals," the Beijing-based firm said on its website. "An experience truly like no other." The marathon is listed on the website of global governing body World Athletics. In 2019, about 950 Westerners took part in the race, up from the roughly 450 recorded the previous year. This year, about 200 foreign runners were expected to compete, along with more than 200 North Koreans, Simon Cockerell, general manager of Koryo Tours, recently told Australian broadcaster SBS. Advertisement "North Korea is a complex and fascinating place that intrigues many people, and while it is certainly not for everyone, it definitely appeals to those curious about the experience of visiting such a country and seeing what they can," he said. bur-kjk/pst/dh
