The North Korean defector may have just been really drunk

Mar 31, 2018 3:00 AM PDT

1 minute read

SUMMARY

In November 2017, Oh Chung Sung, a defected North Korean soldier, plowed through a Korean People’s (North Korean) Army checkpoint attempting to cross the DMZ. KPA soldiers fired on him and his vehicle. When his vehicle crashed, troops closed in and…

In November 2017, Oh Chung Sung, a defected North Korean soldier, plowed through a Korean People's (North Korean) Army checkpoint attempting to cross the DMZ. KPA soldiers fired on him and his vehicle. When his vehicle crashed, troops closed in and shot him several times. Republic of Korea (South Korean) Army troopers discovered the wounded defector and dragged him to safety.

Not many details are known, since North Korea's state news isn't the most reputable source and, as it turns out, Oh may have been pretty drunk through most of it.

An estimated 1,000 North Koreans defect each year. (Image via KCNA)

Due to the multiple gunshot wounds, pneumonia, and 10-inch parasites living inside him, he has only had the strength to endure around an hour of questioning per day by South Korean intelligence agencies. Rumors started circulating that Oh was involved in a murder in North Korea before fleeing the country. These rumors are still being investigated but, as it turns out, what he may have been hiding was the fact that he was severely intoxicated during his escape, and was trying to avoid getting a DUI.

Related: Why a North Korean defector fled for the South

Reports show that he was trying to impress a friend by driving into Panmunjom village, the site of the 1953 Armistice signing. It's not known if or how long he had been planning to defect, but he admits the actual escape wasn't planned.

South Korea has a policy to aid and resettle North Korean defectors, but Oh's story is one of the most high profile cases. He openly embraced South Korea and had a flag hung in his hospital room to reassure him that his escape was successful.

Another benefit of escaping a dictatorship on a drunken bender was being able to ask for a Choco Pie, a South Korean snack similar to the American MoonPie. He told officials that he loved the treats and that Kim Jong Un had banned them in the North since they represent the evils of capitalism. After he told them about the "Choco Pie Black Market," the manufacturer of the snacks, Orion, swore to give Oh a lifetime supply of Choco Pies as long as he remains in South Korea.