Doctors uncertain about wounded North Korean soldier who made dash for the South under hail of gunfire

The condition of a North Korean soldier severely wounded by gunfire while escaping to South Korea is gradually improving after two surgeries but it is too early to tell whether he will make a recovery, hospital officials said on Saturday

While the soldier’s vital signs are stabilising, he continues to remain unconscious and relying on a breathing machine. After consecutive surgeries to repair internal organ damage and other injuries, no further surgeries are planned as of yet, said Shin Mi-jeong, an official at the Ajou University Medical Centre near Seoul.

The unarmed soldier, whose name and rank have not been disclosed, defected to the South on Monday by driving a military jeep near a line that divides the Koreas at the Joint Security Area and then rushing across it under a barrage of bullets.

While treating the wounds, surgeons removed dozens of parasites from the soldier’s ruptured small intestine, including presumed roundworms that were as long as 27cm, which may be reflective of poor nutrition and health in North Korea’s military. Doctors measured the soldier as being 1.7 metres tall, but weighing just 60kg.