Category World News

A North Korean soldier was detained after crossing the nation’s strict border, according to South Korea.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, which said it “tracked and monitored” the soldier before securing him, the soldier crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) that divides the peninsula on Sunday.

The soldier’s crossing, which is a comparatively uncommon incident in the mine-strewn border zone between the two countries that are technically at war, was the subject of a military statement from South Korea.

The soldier’s desire to defect was described by South Korean media as a “defection,” according to the Chosun Ilbo daily, who claimed the soldier approached a South Korean soldier and received a report from the newspaper Chosun Ilbo.

The North Koreans have fled poverty and repression in North Korea since the peninsula was divided in the 1950s, and the soldier would be one of them. 236 North Koreans arrived in the South last year, making up 88 percent of the total.

A North Korean soldier who demonizes defectors as “human scum” last escaped to the South in August of last year.

The majority of defectors, however, choose a different route: crossing China’s border before eventually making their way to the South. Because of the presence of mines and strict surveillance on both sides of the border, direct crossings between the two Koreas are relatively uncommon and extremely risky.

The most recent soldier to cross the border may have been able to navigate the dangerous terrain because of his “likely familiarity with the area,” according to Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Pyongyang won’t be happy about the most recent crossing because it could learn about its troop movements and operations in the border region, the analyst told the AFP news agency.

A South Korean military-led 20-hour operation helped a North Korean civilian cross the border on foot in July.

Following months of political unrest, which began with the conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol’s flimsy attempt to impose martial law in December, liberal politician Lee Jae-myung became president of South Korea four months after taking office.

Kim Jong Un’s predecessor, Lee, has a different perspective on the North Korean leader, promising to “open a communication channel with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through talks and cooperation.”

The government claims that a heist that involved armed men snatching valuable jewelry took place at the renowned Louvre Museum in Paris in just four minutes.

The museum’s doors had already opened to the public and the thieves broke into the Galerie d’Apollon building, which is home to the French crown jewels, at around 9:30 am (07:30 GMT), according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior on Sunday.

A detailed list of the stolen items is being compiling as a result of the investigation has already begun. These items have a priceless heritage and historical value beyond their market value, according to the statement, noting that neither the public nor Louvre staff or law enforcement officers have reported any injuries.

Rachida Dati, the minister of culture, claimed one of the stolen jewelry pieces was discovered close to the museum and that the daring heist had ended in four minutes.

“We arrived right away, a few moments after we learned about this robbery.” To be completely honest, this procedure only lasted for almost four minutes, which was very quick. These are professionals, we must say, she said.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is a permanent exhibit at the Louvre, which is the world’s most visited museum, on X for “exceptional reasons.”

As police closed its gates and nearby roads, which were captured on video outside the museum, which led to a flurry of confused tourists gathered outside the complex.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the theft as “major robbery” and claimed “jewels of inestimable value” were involved.

He claimed that the thieves broke into the museum’s windows with a basket lift before riding motorcycles to escape. They then cut the glass “with a disc cutter.”

The thieves entered the former palace museum through the Seine’s facade, which is currently undergoing construction work, according to French newspaper Le Parisien. According to the newspaper, the thieves allegedly stole “nine pieces from Napoleon’s and the Empress’s jewelry,” and they later discovered Empress Eugenie’s crown broken outside the museum.

The Mona Lisa was taken by a former employee at the Louvre in 1911, which is most famous among the thefts. It was recovered in Florence, Italy, two years later.

Two Renaissance-era armour pieces were taken from the Louvre in 1983, and they were later recovered nearly four decades later.

Recently, several French museums have been targeted.

The Natural History Museum in Paris was raided last month and stole 600, 000 euros ($700, 000) in gold samples. The native gold, a metal alloy containing gold and silver in their original, unrefined form, was stolen using an angle grinder and a blow torch.