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TOKYO: The North Korean soldier who went south under fire last year is a son of a general, but says that most Northerners are not loyal to Kim Jong Un, according to a Japanese newspaper.
Oh Chong Song's dramatic attack on the border with the Panmunjom truce village in the demilitarized zone – under the fire of his comrades – made headlines last year and hospitalized him for serious injury.
It is very rare for northern troops to defect at Panmunjom, a major tourist attraction and the only place on the border where forces from both sides are facing each other.
Mr. Oh, 25, is the son of a major general, the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun reported in the defender's first interview with the media.
Despite his privileged birth – he described himself as a "superior class" – he did not pledge allegiance to northern leaders.
"In the North, people, especially the younger generation, are indifferent to each other, between politics and their leaders, and there is no sense of loyalty."
He was "indifferent" to the reign of Kim Jong Un, the third generation of the Kim family to rule the North, and had no interest in what his friends thought.
"Probably 80% of my generation is indifferent and has no loyalty," he said.
"It is natural not to have any interest or loyalty since the hereditary system is considered a given, regardless of its inability to feed people."
Oh denied the news in the South that he was wanted for murder in the North.
After unspecified trouble with friends, the Sankei said that he had started drinking. Returning to his post, he crossed a checkpoint and, fearing to be executed, decided to continue.
"I was afraid of being executed if I came home, so I crossed the border," he would have said, adding that he did not regret having made a defection.
According to the newspaper, the Japanese intelligence services confirmed the identity of Oh.
A short clip posted by the Sankei Shimbun on his website shows him wearing a black jacket and a white top, speaking with a slight North Korean accent. His face is not revealed.
The geopolitical landscape around the Korean Peninsula has changed dramatically since last year, when US President Donald Trump threatened to rain fire and fury over North Korea, with 39, nuclear weapon.
"I really felt that we were on the verge of war with the United States," said Mr. Oh. "The tension (that I felt) was coming down from the top."
At present, a rapid rapprochement has taken place on the peninsula and troops from the border truce village where he has defected must be disarmed.
Oh said that he understands the old comrades who shot him.
"If they did not fire, they would be very punished," he said. "So, if I were them, I would have done the same thing."
