The North Korean soldier who defected to the South last week regained consciousness Tuesday.

A second round of press briefing by Ajou University Hospital regarding the soldier’s condition will take place as early as late Tuesday. 



The soldier reportedly asked to listen to a South Korean song upon waking up. He is not in a stable enough condition to talk with the media, as he had sustained gunshot wounds.

The North Korean soldier dashed across the border to defect on Nov. 13. He was a 20-something noncommissioned officer who had served at the Joint Security Area in the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, according to South Korea’s spy agency.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)