Woman in Her 30s Crosses Civilian Control Line, Damages GOP Fence... Detained by Military
Opposition: "This is unacceptable"... criticizes lax frontline security posture
A woman in her 30s, identified only as A, was detained by military authorities after illegally crossing the Civilian Control Line in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, and damaging a fence at a frontline general outpost (GOP).
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul responds to questions about a civilian who crossed the Civilian Control Line and approached the GOP fence
(SEOUL=Yonhap News) Photo by Hwang Gwang-mo = Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul answers a question from Rep. Seong Il-jong of the People Power Party about the case of a woman in her 30s who crossed the Civilian Control Line and approached the GOP fence, while attending a comprehensive parliamentary audit of the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other relevant agencies at the National Assembly Defense Committee on the 26th. 2026.10.26
hkmpooh@yna.co.kr (End)
According to military authorities on Oct. 26, A entered an area north of the Civilian Control Line in Cheorwon without permission on the afternoon of Oct. 24. The military identified her and tried to take her into custody, but she evaded them. The following day, Oct. 25, she was found near a frontline GOP fence. Beyond the fence lies the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
A even cut several barbed-wire sensors installed on the GOP fence. The military immediately dispatched personnel and took A into custody after surveillance equipment detected her. However, a subsequent joint investigation by relevant agencies found no grounds to suspect A of espionage or other activities against national security. She reportedly continued to ramble incoherently during questioning.
During a parliamentary audit of the Ministry of National Defense at the National Assembly on Oct. 26, Rep. Seong Iljong of the People Power Party criticized the response, saying, "The military took more than 20 hours to take into custody the person who had crossed the Civilian Control Line, even after initially identifying her." He added, "A woman in her 30s who is only 158 centimeters tall breached our military's GOP. This is unacceptable."
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Defense Minister Kang Shincheol said, "We recognize that there are problems and will address them." Jin Youngseung, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said, "We are currently conducting an inspection and will certainly address the shortcomings."
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