Dramatic CCTV footage of a North Korean soldier’s harrowing escape to South Korea was released this week by the American-led United Nations Command. The event took place on November 13th and shows the defector driving a stolen army truck through the DMZ (demilitarized zone).

After accidentally running the truck into a ditch, the soldier flees by foot and is shot several times by North Korean military. He manages to escape through the DMZ’s ‘Joint Security Area’, the only portion of the border where soldiers from the two countries stand just feet apart — and thus is one of the only areas where a sprint across is feasible. The last time a North Korean soldier defected across the Joint Security Area was 2007. [source]

The defecting soldier was rushed into surgery at a hospital near Seoul and is recovering and will be fine doctors have reported.