＜Inside N. Korea＞ 3 People Shot Trying to Cross the Border into China, 1 Dead

In the northern region of Ryanggang Province, Kimjongsuk County, North Korea's border guard shot three residents who were trying to flee across the Yalu River into China, resulting in one death.

According to several reporting partners living in Ryanggang Province, the incident occurred on December 2. One person was shot in the head and died instantly, while two others were arrested at the scene. The genders and ages of the three people and their motives for crossing the border into China are unknown.

It is reported that the shooters were soldiers of the "Seventh Army Corps" deployed along the border for security. Last August, the Kim Jong-un regime issued a declaration that anyone approaching the border river without permission would be shot without warning. As a result, the border with China has been on high alert since last year under the auspices of preventing the influx of coronavirus.

News about the shooting has spread throughout the Ryanggang region. Residents are said to have voiced sympathy for the three border crossers and anger at the authorities for shooting them, saying, "How hard life must have been for them to try to cross the border," and "Trying to escape means death, so it must have been their last resort." （Kang Ji-won)

※ ASIAPRESS contacts its reporting partners in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.