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North Korean defector reportedly enjoys watching CBS' CSI and American movies

Screen Shot 2017 11 21 at 10.30.04 PM
A music video of Korean music group Girls' Generation. SMTOWN/YouTube

  • The North Korean defector who made a dramatic escape under a hail of gunfire is in stable condition.
  • He is reportedly 24-years-old and is identified by his surname: "Oh."
  • Oh is said to enjoy watching American media, including CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and the action movie "The Transporter."
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The North Korean soldier whose harrowing escape to South Korea was caught on camera, is reportedly in stable condition and conversed with medical staff at the hospital, several South Korean media outlets reported Tuesday.

"He is fine," lead surgeon Lee Cook-Jung said of the soldier, who was revealed to be 24-years-old and is identified by his surname, "Oh," according to the Korean Herald and Dong-a Ilbo. "The patient is not going to die."

Lee said Oh made light conversation and talked about South Korean music, The Ilbo reported. Oh listened to several versions of a song from Korean pop music group "Girls' Generation," to which he said he was fan of.

To help with Oh's recovery process, doctors reportedly played television and music for Oh; however, fearing watching the news may be excessively stimulating for the recovering patient, they limited his privileges to channels with movies, the Ilbo said.

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Oh was also reported to enjoy watching CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

FINAL
Video footage shows Oh during his escape, moments before his rescue. USFK

Doctors avoided asking pressing questions to Oh, such as asking what his army duties were, and instead, talked about movie scenes from "The Transporter," starring Jason Statham, the Ilbo continued.

Lee said in the report that he briefly watched the movie with Oh, who said that he also drove fast, similar to Statham's character in the movie.

Video footage shows that during his escape Oh attempted to drive to the southern side of the border in a jeep before becoming entrenched in a ditch and forced to complete the escape on foot.

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Although Lee said Oh was making progress in his recovery, his initial assessment was grim. Oh was airlifted to the hospital after being shot several times, according to Reuters: "From a medical point of view he was almost dead when he was first brought here," Lee said at the time.

Oh was also diagnosed with tuberculosis and Hepatitis B, according to the Herald, and was discovered to have dozens of parasites in his digestive tract.

North Korea South Korea
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