Two S. Korean soldiers defected to N. Korea through Vietnam War: ministry

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- Two South Korean soldiers defected to North Korea
apparently through communist forces during the Vietnam War, the defense ministry
in Seoul said Friday.

The revelation came a day after the South Korean government said it would pay
compensation to the family of a man believed to have been sent to North Korea
after being captured by North Vietnamese forces in the mid-1960s.
Two other South Korean soldiers also ended up in North Korea, Won said, but they
are thought to be deserters who chose to go to North Korea while fighting in
Vietnam.
"It is unclear why and how they defected, but it is likely they went to North
Korea through North Vietnam," Won said.
Hundreds of thousands of South Korean soldiers fought in the war on the U.S. side
from 1964-1973. Nearly 5,000 of them died while about 10,000 were wounded.
One of the defectors was a sergeant later seen on North Korean television, Won
said. The other, an Army captain, is thought to be in North Korea based on
intelligence.
Won said the staff sergeant, Ahn, seen as having been forced into North Korea,
also remains categorized as a deserter on military records, but his status could
soon change.
Won and ministry officials declined to disclose information on what year each of
the defections took place in.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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