NoKo replaces soldiers, SoKo awards medals after defector dashes over the border

Seoul, South Korea -- North Korea has apparently replaced the guards who were unable to stop one of their own from escaping into South Korea, in spite of firing about 40 rounds at the fleeing soldier and missing him at least 35 times.

He is currently in stable condition with gunshot wounds to the torso and arms.

What they will do with those lousy marksmen is anybody's guess, but I wouldn't want to be in their combat boots. It's highly likely that Kim Jong Uno Dos Tres Quatro will use them to improve the marksmanship of those who will replace them--but not in a good way.

Meanwhile, South Korea and U.S. soldiers have been decorated for their role in the rescue of the defector.

The five wounds he received likely saved his life because while being treated at the hospital, a number of serious medical conditions were found growing inside him.

Senior diplomats based in Seoul visited the JSA Wednesday morning where they spied five North Korean workers digging a deep trench in the area the defector dashed across the line after his vehicle got stuck in a ditch, a member of the diplomatic delegation told Reuters on Friday. It isn't far fetched to imagine the trench being used as a mass grave for the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Marc Knapper saw the digging on the north side of the border.

"The workers were being watched very closely by the KPA guards, not just the two in the photo, but others out of shot behind the building," the diplomat said, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the situation.

According to an intelligence official cited by Yonhap, SoKo's news agency, the North has replaced 35 to 40 soldiers it had guarding the JSA at the time of the incident.

"We're closely monitoring the North Korean military's movement in the JSA," a South Korean defense ministry official told the media, without confirming the reduction in border guards. "There are limits as to what we can say about things we know."

Two new trees had also been planted in the small space between the ditch and the line with the South, apparently to make it more difficult for future defectors to drive across the ground.

In South Korea, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) awarded its own JSA soldiers--three South Koreans and three U.S. soldiers--the Army Commendation medal in recognition for their effort and bravery in rescuing the defector. 

The medals were handed out by USFK Commander Vincent Brooks in a ceremony on Thursday.

Pyongyang has not discussed the defection of its soldier, but you can bet heads will roll.

The young defector, known only by his family name Oh, appears to be a quiet, pleasant man. He is experiencing nightmares about being returned to the North, according to his surgeon, Dr. Wow.

"Once he's recovered, I'm going to miss Oh," Wow said.

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