Suspected North Korean army deserter kills four Chinese

[Spetsnaz]

Suspected North Korean army deserter kills four Chinese: Yonhap

SEOUL Sun Jan 4, 2015 10:27pm EST

(Reuters) - A suspected North Korean army deserter has been detained in China after killing four Chinese during a robbery in the border city of Helong late last month, Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday.

The incident occurred on Dec. 28 just across the Tumen River dividing China and North Korea, the report quoted unidentified sources as saying.

Dong-A Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, said that North Korea had realigned its border troops after the incident.

China's foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment and South Korea's unification ministry said they could not confirm the reports.

Since he took power after the death of his father in 2011, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has strengthened border security to prevent defections, according to defectors and activists.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; additional reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

 

[KimJongUn]

Beijing protests after N.K. army deserter kills 4

Published: 2015-01-05 21:11
Updated: 2015-01-05 21:11

SHENYANG, China/BEIJING (Yonhap) ― China said Monday it had lodged a protest with North Korea after a North Korean army deserter killed four Chinese citizens in an apparent robbery in the Chinese border city of Helong late last month.

The incident took place on Dec. 28 last year in the border town of Nanping in Helong, just north of the Tumen River overlooking North Korea’s North Hamkyong Province, a source with knowledge of the incident told Yonhap on condition of anonymity.

Asked about the incident, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters, “We have lodged a representation with the North Korean side and China’s public security authorities are dealing with the issue.” Hua declined to elaborate further.

The gun-wielding North Korean man killed the four Chinese citizens and injured another Chinese person at their homes during an apparent robbery, according to the source.

Chinese police and military authorities caught the suspect after a manhunt. The suspect has since been under investigation, according to the source.

Chinese authorities have not announced the incident and the country’s state-run media organizations also have remained silent.

“The Chinese authorities have ended a consultation with the North Korean side in dealing with the case and decided not to make the case public,” the source said.

It is not uncommon for North Korean soldiers or citizens to cross the border into Chinese towns and attempt robberies.

In December 2013, a North Korean defector in his 20s killed an elderly Chinese couple in the Chinese border city of Yanji and stole 20,000 yuan ($3,210). The North Korean defector was caught by Chinese authorities after fleeing to Beijing.