A North Korean man defected to South Korea after he swam down the coast and evaded armed border guards with orders to shoot anyone fleeing Kim Jong Un’s regime. The unidentified man was detected late on the evening of July 30, according to South Korean officials, who made the defection public on Thursday. He used tied-on plastic foam for buoyancy and swam down the Korean Peninsula’s west coast. After a journey of around 10 hours, the man, who reportedly waved his hands and declared his intention to defect, was retrieved by South Korea’s military about 1.6 miles south of North Korean soil. Defections to the South have become extremely rare in recent years after Kim ordered extra fortifications and boosted security along the border. That has left only dangerous routes and the risk of a death sentence if caught. Many North Koreans used to flee through China, crossing the border with help from brokers. But recent escapes have involved riskier routes, including traversing the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, taking small fishing boats or swimming alone. The North Korean man crossed into the South at an estuary where the two Koreas sit just miles apart. Another individual managed to escape North Korea a year ago in the same waterways. Earlier this week, Pyongyang refused to claim the body of a 36-year-old North Korean farmer who had washed ashore in the area.

Full report : North Korean Man Defects To South Korea With the Help of Bubble Wrap and a swim across ocean.