The North Korean soldier who was shot five times in the process of crossing the border to South Korea last week Monday has fully regained consciousness.
 
Lee Guk-jong, head of the medical team treating the soldier at Ajou University Hospital, made the revelation in a press release distributed ahead of a news briefing on Wednesday.
 
Lee, however, said that the soldier is showing signs of severe depression and psychiatrists will evaluate whether he is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
 
Lee added that the North Korean will continue to receive treatment at the intensive care unit for several days until it is confirmed that he will not suffer from any further aftereffects, such as infections. 
 
The North Korean soldier underwent his second operation last Wednesday. He began to breathe on his own from around 9 a.m. last Saturday and is currently in a stable condition.
 
Doctors are treating the soldier for parasites which were discovered during the operations as well as for tuberculosis and hepatitis which he was found to suffer from through additional tests.
 
The soldier was transported to Ajou University Hospital in Suwon after being shot in his elbow, shoulders and abdomen by fellow North Korean comrades as he sprinted across the border around 3:30 p.m. last week Monday.