This Soldier Tried to Escape War, but What He Found in North Korea Was Beyond Imagination!

In 1965, Charles Robert Jenkins, a U.S. Army sergeant, made a choice that would change his life forever. Hoping to avoid deployment to the Vietnam War, Jenkins crossed the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into North Korea, intending to seek asylum with the Soviets. He planned to return home through a prisoner exchange, but what followed was nearly four decades of captivity, regret, and hardship in one of the world’s most secretive nations.

A Young Soldier’s Journey

Charles Robert Jenkins was born on February 18, 1940, in Rich Square, North Carolina. His early life was marked by adversity—a sports injury and his father’s death led him to drop out of high school. With limited opportunities, Jenkins joined the North Carolina National Guard at just 15 years old, serving until 1958. At 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, training at Fort Hood, Texas, and eventually serving tours in South Korea and West Germany.

By 1964, Jenkins was back in South Korea, stationed in the tense DMZ with the 8th Cavalry Regiment. Rumors of deployment to Vietnam and the dangers of night patrols weighed heavily on him. On January 5, 1965, after drinking 10 beers, he made a fateful decision. Under the pretense of investigating a noise, he left his unit, unloaded his rifle, and crossed into North Korea, waving a white T-shirt as a surrender flag. He thought his stay would be brief. It wasn’t.

Immediate Regret in a Hostile Land

Jenkins quickly realized the gravity of his mistake. Instead of being sent to the Soviet Union, he was interrogated, beaten, and held captive in North Korea. In his memoir, The Reluctant Communist, he reflected, “I was not thinking clearly. But at the time my decisions had a logic to them that made my actions seem almost inevitable.”

Two weeks after his defection, North Korean state radio announced his arrival, claiming he had defected out of “disgust with conditions in South Korea.” Jenkins’ letters to his family, sent under duress, confirmed his desertion to U.S. authorities. He was officially declared a deserter.

Life Among Fellow Defectors

In captivity, Jenkins was housed with three other American defectors: James Dresnok, Larry Abshier, and Jerry Parrish. The men endured harsh conditions, sharing a single room and suffering beatings for failing to memorize the teachings of Kim Il-Sung. The group attempted to escape via the Soviet embassy in 1966 but were caught and punished.

Over time, the defectors were given jobs, homes, and eventually, wives. Yet their lives remained tightly controlled. Jenkins, for instance, taught English to North Korean spies, but his Southern accent led to his dismissal. He later described his existence as filled with “cold, hunger, beatings, and mental torture.”

A Forced Marriage That Became a Lifeline

In 1980, Jenkins was introduced to Hitomi Soga, a Japanese nurse kidnapped by North Korea to train spies. Their union was arranged by the regime, and they married within weeks. Despite the circumstances, Jenkins later said, “When I met her, my life changed a lot. Me and her together—I knew we could make it in North Korea. And we did.”

The couple had two daughters, Mika and Brinda, who became a source of hope in an otherwise grim existence. But escape seemed impossible.

Freedom at Last

Soga’s freedom came in 2002, after Japan negotiated her release. She refused to return to North Korea and worked tirelessly to bring her husband and daughters to Japan. Jenkins feared execution for desertion but eventually reunited with Soga in Indonesia in 2004. His mistreatment in North Korea was evident: he weighed just 100 pounds and bore scars from years of abuse.

Facing Justice and Starting Over

Jenkins surrendered to U.S. authorities in Japan, where he was court-martialed in November 2004. Pleading guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy, he was sentenced to 30 days confinement, forfeited all back pay, and was dishonorably discharged. Jenkins later called the trial “a big set-up for the outside world so it looked like justice was done.”

After serving 25 days, Jenkins began a new life with his family in Soga’s hometown in Japan. Despite lingering fears of North Korean retribution, he found solace in civilian life, working at a museum and enjoying motorcycling. Jenkins passed away in 2017 at the age of 77, leaving behind a legacy of resilience amid extraordinary circumstances.