Dramatic footage shows North Korean defector dash for freedom through storm of bullets

Dramatic footage has emerged of a North Korean soldier desperately attempting to cross the border into the South while former comrades fire a barrage of bullets at him.

The defector was shot five times in the escape on November 13 but is reportedly on the road to recovery after being rescued by South Korean soldiers and flown to hospital by helicopter.

Doctors said that he had regained consciousness following two operations to extract the bullets, and his breathing was stable and unassisted.

The UN Command today released a surveillance video which captures the entire dash for freedom across the so-called demilitarized zone between the two nations.

The defecting soldier, whose rank and identity have not been disclosed, can be seen speeding in a jeep down a tree-lined road towards the border.

Shocked North Korean soldiers begin to chase after him and he crashes the jeep into a ditch near the line that divides the countries.

It is the part of the border where rival soldiers face each other at the closest distance, with tour groups often visiting.

The soldier can then be seen sprinting across the dividing line while about 40 rounds are fired at him.

One North Korean soldier crosses the line, violating the Korean armistice agreement, before hurrying back, according to Col. Chad G Carroll, a spokesman for the UN Command.

The defector, who collapses on a bed of fallen leaves, is later dragged to safety by South Korean troops.

He was flown by a U.S. military helicopter to a hospital in Suwon, south of Seoul.

An official from U.N. Command (UNC) said North Korea had been informed on Wednesday that it had violated the 1953 armistice agreement, which marked the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War.

The official told a news conference that a soldier from the North Korean People's Army (KPA) had crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) for a few seconds as others fired shots at the defecting soldier.

Doctors later discovered a 10-inch parasite in the defector’s stomach, which is thought by many to confirm the poor food and hygiene standards thought to be affecting the North Korean population.

Reports say the man was an army staff sergeant in his mid-20s who was stationed in Panmmunjom, a village in the Joint Security Area, part of a truce area set up by the UN.