In the early morning of the 16th, a North Korean defector was caught by the military inside the civilian line of the 22nd Division of the Army in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do. The photo shows a member of the Army’s Elementary Action Unit conducting search and alert training on the coast. Photo army
The Ministry of National Defense has disclosed the details of North Korean male defectors captured in Goseong, Gangwon-do, but questions remain. In particular, suspicions are growing over the process of defecting to North Korea that he returned to North Korea by swimming for a long time in sub-zero weather, and controversy has arisen.
On the 16th, when this man jumped into the sea, the seawater temperature in the East Sea was about 8℃. Defense Minister Seo Wook attended the National Assembly’s Defense Committee the day before and said that a North Korean man had been diving and swimming for about 6 hours.
“The footsteps (footprints) were found near the (coast) railroad fence separated by more than 3km from the MDL (military demarcation line), and it is estimated that it landed through this point.” The flippers were found, and it is assumed that they moved after changing their clothes.”
However, the East Sea at that time was in a state of high waves due to a storm warning. Some people endure the digging in the low-temperature sea at dawn without lights, and the question continues whether it is possible for ordinary people to swim while maintaining their direction for 6 hours.
Joint Chief of Staff Park Jung-hwan attends the general meeting of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee on the afternoon of the 17th and reports the status of the returnees from the 22nd Division. News 1
Secretary Seo also said, “We decided that we could not swim at that water temperature based on the data we had first,” and said, “It seems that we were wearing clothes that were a little bit waterproof like a one-piece suit, so that water did not penetrate completely into it.”
According to the data of’Survival Time According to Sea Water Temperature’, which was analyzed by the military authorities based on US Navy data, it raises doubts about the announcement of the joint venture that it swam for about 6 hours.
According to this data, the survival time is 2 hours and 15 minutes at sea water temperature of 8℃ even when wearing waterproof clothing. At 6℃, it takes only 1 hour and 45 minutes, and at 7℃ it takes only 2 hours.
Moreover, the duration of consciousness appeared to be shorter. At sea water temperature of 8℃, the duration of the ritual is less than 45 minutes even when wearing waterproof clothing.
However, some claim that it can last more than 6 hours when wearing a waterproof wetsuit (dry suit).
A military source said, “I wear a dry suit for a long time even when constructing a breakwater,” he said. “If you wear several layers of clothes in the dry suit and keep your body temperature, the survival time at seawater temperature of 8℃ will not be limited.”
Reporter Bae Jae-seong [email protected]