Seoul aims to dispel myths around defection drama

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

South Korea's Defense Ministry on Monday denied claims that it might have overblown the story that one of its commanders led a mission to rescue a North Korean soldier who was shot by his own military while trying to defect last week.

The soldier has been hospitalized in the South since being discovered with multiple gunshot wounds after becoming the first North Korean defector in a decade to cross the demarcation line within the so-called Joint Security Area (JSA) -- a particularly tense point along the Demilitarized Zone that has separated the Koreas since their 1950-53 war ended in a cease-fire.

Seoul's account was that a South Korean commander based at the JSA was joined by a pair of officers in crawling to rescue the stricken soldier following a hail of gunfire from the North.

According to local news agency Yonhap, the local press claims there was no commander at the scene, citing thermal observation footage.

The mystery surrounding the event has been amplified by the refusal of the United Nations Command - which is investigating the case - to release CCTV footage despite saying it would do so following last Monday's incident.

"[The commander] was there. What [we] said clearly is that the battalion commander and two other officers conducted the rescue operation under his command," Defense Ministry Spokesman Moon Sang- was quoted by Yonhap as telling reporters.

South Korea's media has been demanding answers considering the South's military's failure to even fire any warning shots in response to the North's 40 rounds, some of which crossed the border.