PHENOM. >> WERE WAITING PATIENTLY FOR
HER, WILLIE.
THANK YOU.
>>> AND NOW TO SOMETHING THATS
HANGING OVER THESE GAMES, OF
COURSE.
THE NORTH KOREAN CRISIS.
AND THAT COUNTRYS STANDING IN
THE WORLD.
PRESIDENT CLINTON ONCE CALLED
THE DMZ THE SCARIEST PLACE ON
EARTH.
WE VISITED IT TODAY WITH THE
HELP OF U.S. ARMY COLONEL STEVEN LEE, SECRETARY OF THE UNITEDEVEN
LEE, SECRETARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMAND MILITARY
ARMISTICE COMMISSION.
ARMISTICE COMMISSION. WE WERE GIVEN AN EXCLUSIVE
MOMENT BY MOMENT ACCOUNT OF ONE
NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS BID FOR
FREEDOM.
FREEDOM. >> HE WAS DRIVING.
>> Reporter: THIS MORNING, NBC
NEWS IS THE FIRST WESTERN NEWS
OUTLET TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THE
PATH THAT A DESPERATE NORTH KOREAN SOLDIER TOOK WHEN HE MADE
A MAD DASH FOR FREEDOM.
BACK IN NOVEMBER, THAT SOLDIER
OCHONG SUN SCRAMBLED ACROSS THE
DMZ, THE HEAVILY GUARDED BORDER
THAT SEPARATES THE TWO KOREAS.
ITS WIDELY CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES ON
EARTH AND WE WERE GIVEN A RARE
TOUR.
TOUR.
THE DARING ESCAPE THAT
CAPTIVATED PEOPLE AROUND THE
WORLD STARTED IN A SPEEDING
JEEP.
CAMERAS ON THE SOUTH KOREAN SIDE
CAPTURED THE DEFECTION AS IT UNFOLDED.THE DEFECTION AS IT
UNFOLDED.
THE VEHICLE BLOWING THROUGH A NORTH KOREAN GUARD POST AND THEN
CRASHING INTO A DITCH.
>> THAT DITCH THAT YOU SEE ON
THEIR SIDE, JUST ABOUT TEN YARDS
AWAY, IS WHERE HIS JEEP GOT
STUCK.
STUCK.
>> HE WAS TRYING TO DRIVE ACROSS THE DIRT JUST TO DRIVE ACROSS?SS
THE DIRT JUST TO DRIVE ACROSS? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. AND THEN WHEN HE REALIZED HE
COULDNT, HE GOT OUT.
AS HE TOOK ABOUT TWO STEPS, AS
YOU SAW IN THE VIDEO, THERE WERE
ABOUT FOUR NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS
THAT STARTED TO SHOOT AT HIM.
>> Reporter: THAT SOLDIER, THE
FIRST DEFECTOR TO PASS THROUGH
THE HEAVILY GUARDED AREA SINCE
1984.
1984.
>> THESE WERE PART OF THE 24
ROUNDS THAT WE HAVE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF.WE HAVE PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE OF. >> Reporter: THE JOINT SECURITY
AREA LOCATED IN PANMUNJOM
VILLAGE, THE PEACE VILLAGE,
MEANT TO ENCOURAGE DIPLOMATIC
EXCHANGES AND IS THE ONLY PLACE
WHERE NORTH AND SOUTH KOREANS
CAN STAND FACE TO FACE.
>> IT MUST HAVE BEEN ASTONISHING
TO HAVE GUNSHOTS RING OUT HERE
IN ONE OF THE MOST TENSE PLACES
IN THE WORLD.
>> THIS PLACE IS DIFFERENT THAN ALL OF THE OTHER PLACES ALONGAN
ALL OF THE OTHER PLACES ALONG THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE.
ITS SPECIFICALLY FOR DIALOGUE
SO WE SHOULDNT HAVE
PROVOCATIONS LIKE THAT.
THAT WAS MORE SIGNIFICANT THEY
FIRED IN THIS AREA.
>> CAN WE GO SEE WHERE YOU FOUND
THE SOLDIER?
THE SOLDIER?
>> ITS JUST RIGHT THERE.
>> SO HE RAN THE SAME PATH?
>> THIS IS BASICALLY THE PATH HE RAN.HIS IS BASICALLY THE PATH HE
RAN.
IT WAS QUITE REMARKABLE WHEN YOU
SEE THE VIDEO, RIGHT, OF HIM
RUNNING AND HE WAS GETTING SHOT FIVE TO SIX TIMES. GETTING SHOT
FIVE TO SIX TIMES. >> HES TAKING BULLETS ON THIS
WHOLE RUN?
WHOLE RUN? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> BUT HE WASNT FOUND RIGHT
AWAY.
AWAY.
>> NO.
>> IT TOOK SOUTH KOREAN SOLDIERS
AND U.S. SERVICEMEN NEARLY 15
MINUTES TO FIND THE DEFECTOR.
YOU CAN SEE HIM HERE HIDING
UNDER LEAVES, HELPLESS. >> THE SOUTH KOREAN SOLDIERS
CRAWLED UP FROM THIS HILL TO
RESCUE HIM?
RESCUE HIM?
>> THATS BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT THEIR GUARD POST THERE COULD SEE
HERE AND SO INSTEAD OF JUST
WALKING UP TO HIM, THEY
LITERALLY HAD TO CRAWL ON THEIR
BELLY INCH BY INCH TO GET TO
HIM.
HIM.
>> FOR ALL YOU KNEW, IF THEY SEE
HIM BEING RESCUED, THEY TAKE ANOTHER SHOT?CUED, THEY TAKE
ANOTHER SHOT? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. EXACTLY.
EXACTLY.
WE ASSESSED TO BE PRUDENT
MEASURES TO RESCUE HIM BUT ALSO
TRY TO PROTECT OUR FORCES.
>> THATS INCREDIBLE.
THE NORTH KOREAN TOWER IS RIGHT
THERE.
THEY COULD -- THEY PROBABLY ARE
WATCHING US RIGHT NOW.
>> YES, THEY ARE.
>> THEY PROBABLY KNOW WHAT WERE
TALKING ABOUT.
>> BULLET HOLES STILL SCAR THIS WALL.LLET HOLES STILL SCAR THIS
WALL.
>> I COUNT ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE.ONE, TWO, THREE,
FOUR, FIVE.
>> Reporter: AS THE DEFECTOR WAS MEDEVACED TO SEOUL WHERE HE WASS
MEDEVACED TO SEOUL WHERE HE WAS TREATED FOR SEVERAL GUNSHOT
WOUNDS.
WOUNDS.
COLONEL LEE WORKED TO LOWER THE
TENSION RICOCHETING THROUGH THE AREA.ON RICOCHETING THROUGH THE
AREA.
>> WE OPENED THAT DOOR AND USED A BULLHORN WHICH IS VERY UNUSUAL
FOR US TO MAKE SURE THEY GOT THE
MESSAGE.
MESSAGE.
>> WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE? >> THE MESSAGE WAS VERY SIMPLY
THAT, HEY, ONE OF YOUR SOLDIERS
DIME OUR SIDE.
WE HAVE HIM.
HE NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION.
HES GETTING THAT NOW.
WELL CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION
AND WHEN ITS DONE, ILL COME
AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT.
WE DID THAT ONCE.
THE NORTH KOREANS ACTUALLY
SIGNALED TO US WITH A FLASHLIGHT
THAT THEY WANTED TO HEAR IT
AGAIN BECAUSE THEY DIDNT REALLY
HEAR IT WELL.
SO WE ACTUALLY READ THE MESSAGE
AGAIN SO WE KNEW THEY RECEIVED,
AND SO I THINK THAT HELPED TO
ALSO DE-ESCALATE AND MAKE SURE
THEY KNEW WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW
WE READ THE SITUATION.
>> YOU LITERALLY SHOUTED IT OVER
A BULLHORN?
A BULLHORN? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. FROM THIS AREA SO THAT THEY
COULD CLEARLY HEAR IT, YEAH.
>> BECAUSE IF YOU CALLED, WHAT
WOULD HAVE HAPPENED?
>> WE ACTUALLY DID TRY TO CALL.
THEY DIDNT ANSWER THE PHONE.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD
TIME FOR THEM TO PICK UP THE
PHONE.
PHONE.
>> I THINK SO. >> Reporter: THE U.N. COMMAND
DOES CALL NORTH KOREA SOME THREE
TIMES A DAY.
>> THIS IS THE BAT PHONE?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> DONT WORRY.
IM NOT GOING TO PICK IT UP.
>> Reporter: BUT NORTH KOREA
HASNT PICKED UP THE PHONE
EITHER SINCE 2013.
>> THATS INCREDIBLE.
THE ACCESS AND THE PEEK BEHIND
THE CURTAIN.
THE CURTAIN. >> IT WAS.
THE WHOLE WORLD WATCHED THAT.
SO EXTRAORDINARY TO SEE A NORTH
KOREAN SOLDIER DEFECT AND HE WAS
UNDER A HAIL OF GUNFIRE.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A WESTERN
NEWS ORGANIZATION HAS SEEN THE
BULLET HOLES AND HEARD ABOUT
WHAT WENT ON.
>> AND THAT COMMUNICATION.
YOUD NEVER EXPECT THAT.
>> A BULLHORN.
ITS NOT THE WAY THE, YOU KNOW,
U.S./SOUTH KOREAN SIDE WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE COMMUNICATION GO
BUT SOMETIMES THATS ALL THERE