Chinese soldiers shoot and kill NKorean at border

SEOUL, June 12 (UPI) -- Chinese soldiers shot and killed a person entering the country illegally from North Korea two months after North Korean soldiers killed three Chinese nationals in the same border town.

Chinese authorities issued a brief statement on the incident on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo on Thursday. The town of Helong said the person was shot and subsequently killed before 4 a.m. after resisting arrest, The New York Times reported.

The statement did not identify the person as male or female, nor was it clear whether the person was a civilian defector, or a North Korean soldier.

In late April, China verified suspects wearing North Korea military uniforms killed three Chinese nationals. The South Korean press identified the suspects as desperate North Korean soldiers in search of food.

South Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily which reported the incident said it is a rare moment in the relation between North Korea and its closest ally. It is rare for a North Korean defector to be killed by Chinese troops and Beijing says very little about North Korean migrants who enter China to earn money.

China, however, is becoming increasingly irritated over the growing cases of crimes committed in China. North Korean soldiers and civilians have become steadily linked to murders and robberies in Chinese border towns.

Prosperous China has become an easy target for North Koreans desperate for a means of survival.