Legendary Korean Military Stories: The One That Made My Jaw Drop

So my senior (let's call him Corporal Choi) pointed his finger across the DMZ fence like he was drawing a map, tracing a line from the North Korean watchtower all the way to our side of the wire.

"Is that actually real?"

"Obviously. You never heard about the soldier who got lucky and caught a North Korean who snuck across that way? Bounty, medal, AND got to discharge early?"

I vaguely remembered hearing something like that. But military stories are like 90% myth so I never paid it much mind.

Choi scanned the perimeter and kept going. "Man... I wish one of those dumbasses would come stumbling my way. Forget the money and medals, I just want out of this hellhole."

Same, honestly. GOP duty¹ is genuinely the worst posting you can get. You count the days left on your service and just... sigh.

"Yes sir. I really want to catch one too."

He laughed at that. "Bro you can't even see your discharge date yet and you're already thinking like that?"

"Ah... no sir, that's not what I meant."

"Your job is to help ME get out faster. That's it. That's your whole purpose."

"Yes sir."

Then out of nowhere. "Speaking of nerve training..."

"Oh god what now."

"Doesn't it make you think WE should do something similar?"

"...Nerve training, sir?"

"Yeah. They do it, why shouldn't we?"

"But..."

"Relax, I'm not sending you all the way over there."

And then he just. Picked up a painted rock. And threw it over the fence.

"Go get it. There's a gap at the bottom of the fence down the slope, water eroded it. Should be big enough to squeeze through. Go."

"...Yes sir."

I ran before he could say something worse.

Sure enough there was a gap, just barely enough to crawl through. I slipped under the fence and moved toward where the rock landed. Corporal Choi watched me from the other side.

I was searching by the glow of the fence lights.

*Bang.*

I went to my knees from the pain. Looked down at my side.

Red. Soaking through my uniform on the left side. Fast.

I turned around.

Choi had his rifle pointed at me.

Turns out there's more than one way to earn a commendation out here. You can catch a North Korean intruder.

Or you can shoot a "deserter."

---

**[Actual Court Record]**

Okay so this next part sounds like fiction but it's a REAL CASE.

Private Jeon was a rifleman stationed at a GOP unit. While on authorized leave, he found out his girlfriend had gotten ENGAGED to some other guy. He came back to base heartbroken, totally checked out, and then got assigned to GOP perimeter duty. Night shifts. Wire fences. Pitch dark. No way out.

So he started thinking.

He remembered something from training: if someone crosses the fence line, you're authorized to shoot them on sight as a defector or intruder. And if you do, you get COMMENDED for it.

So his plan was: trick his patrol partner into crossing the fence, throw a grenade, kill him, then report it as a North Korean infiltration attempt. Either get rewarded and go home early, or get flagged as unfit for perimeter duty and transferred to a cushy rear base.

He decided to go for it.

He was paired with Private Ha, a new recruit who barely knew anything yet. Jeon told him to go check a "previously repaired section" of the fence for damage. Ha hesitated. Jeon told him again. Ha crossed.

Jeon pulled the pin on the grenade.

Threw it.

And.

Nothing.

The grenades were new models with a DOUBLE safety. He pulled the pin but forgot to remove the secondary safety clip. Both grenades. Duds.

Private Ha lived.

Jeon got 10 years in prison.

"Unfit for perimeter duty" is an understatement honestly.

---

*Sounds fake but this is based on an actual case.*