'Enormous number' of parasites in North Korean defector's body, doctors say

Doctors discovered an "enormous number" of parasitic worms slithering inside the body of a man who defected from North Korea this week, the ghastly find illustrating the food and hygiene problems rampant inside the guarded walls of the Hermit Kingdom.

The North Korean defector, who hasn't been identified, was a soldier who made a desperate dash for freedom Monday at the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. But the man was shot at least five times by his former comrades as he made his escape.

South Korean doctors said the defector was in stable condition after surgery for his gunshot wounds. But physicians identified another reason for alarm: an “enormous number” of parasitic worms that are complicating his recovery, Reuters reported.

Doctors believed the soldier could have had the parasites for a while.

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