JSA guard chief helped rescue N. Korean defector: ministry

SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense ministry on Monday dismissed speculation that the military might have glorified the response to the defection of an apparent North Korean soldier via Panmunjom a week earlier.

The commander of the South Korean guard unit at the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the truce village and two other officers crawled on their stomachs to rescue the man hit by multiple gunshots while fleeing the North, according to the South's military authorities.

But a news report said there was no commander spotted at the scene, citing footage from a thermal observation device at the JSA.

"He was there. What (we) said clearly is that the battalion commander and two other officers conducted the rescue operation under his command," Moon Sang-gyun, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters.

He would not provide details, saying the ministry would do so once the ongoing investigation is complete.

The United Nations Command, which is in charge of the probe, has refused to release a related CCTV clip despite repeated media requests.

lcd@yna.co.kr
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