A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea through the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone on Monday, sustaining gunshot injuries from North Korean forces, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The photos below show the JSA border area dividing the South and North, and the small bridge connecting the two sides called the Bridge of No Return. 



The relationship between the two Koreas had noticeably coldened since early this year.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex, the industrial park where the two Koreas ran collaborative business models, was shut down on Feb. 10, 2016 by the South Korean government, in response to the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

The presidency has changed since, from the former Park Geun-hye administration to the incumbent Moon Jae-in’s, but the tension is continuing to build up with North’s reluctance to denuclearize and come forward for dialogue.

The Immigration office between South and North Korea, the only gateway leading to the Kaesong industrial park, was closed with red barricades blocking access to its premises in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 1.



Power was cut and a minimal number of people were seen in the area, creating an eerie atmosphere around the modern factory buildings.

There were 124 South Korean companies that had been involved in the Kaesong park, with affiliated businesses counting up to over 5,000. The combined assets of the businesses and the governmental project in Kaesong amount to 924 billion won ($825 million). About 100,000 people were affected due to the industrial complex’s closure.

By Park Hyun-koo (phko@heraldcorp.com)