Charles Robert Jenkins spent nearly four decades living in North Korea after making a decision in 1965 that would define the rest of his life. Fearing he would be sent to fight in the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army sergeant crossed the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), believing he would eventually be returned to the United States through a prisoner exchange.
Instead, Jenkins spent almost 40 years under the control of one of the world’s most isolated governments before finally returning to face a U.S. military court.
Enlistment
Charles Robert Jenkins was born on February 18, 1940, in Rich Square, North Carolina.
After leaving high school, he joined the North Carolina National Guard as a teenager before reenlisting in the U.S. Army at age 18. He completed infantry training at Fort Hood, now known as Fort Cavazos, and later served in South Korea and West Germany.
By 1964, Jenkins had returned to South Korea for a second deployment near the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Defection
On Jan. 5, 1965, Jenkins crossed into North Korea while on patrol.
According to his later accounts, he feared his unit would soon be deployed to Vietnam and believed surrendering to North Korea would eventually lead to his transfer to the Soviet Union and then back to the United States.
Instead, North Korean authorities detained him immediately.
Jenkins later described the decision as “the biggest mistake I ever made.”
Captivity
Jenkins spent approximately 39 years living in North Korea under constant government supervision.
He shared housing with three other American military defectors and later wrote that they endured harsh conditions, political indoctrination, physical abuse, and psychological pressure.
Over the years, Jenkins was required to:
- Teach English to North Korean personnel.
- Appear in anti-American propaganda films.
- Participate in political education programs.
He later said he lived under continuous surveillance and had little freedom throughout his time there.
Family
In 1980, Jenkins married Hitomi Soga, a Japanese citizen who had been abducted by North Korean agents years earlier.
Although the marriage was arranged by North Korean authorities, the couple built a life together and had two daughters.
In 2002, Soga was allowed to visit Japan as part of negotiations involving Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea. She remained there and worked to secure her husband’s release.
Return
In 2004, North Korea allowed Jenkins and his daughters to leave.
He reunited with his family in Indonesia before voluntarily surrendering to U.S. military authorities at Camp Zama in Japan.
Jenkins became the only known American defector from the post-Korean War era to leave North Korea.
Court-Martial
Jenkins pleaded guilty before a military court to desertion and aiding the enemy by teaching English while in North Korea.
| Court-Martial Outcome | Details |
|---|---|
| Charges | Desertion and aiding the enemy |
| Original Sentence | Six months confinement |
| Reduced Sentence | 30 days |
| Military Rank | Reduced to private |
| Discharge | Dishonorable discharge |
He was released after serving 25 days because of good behavior.
Legacy
After completing his sentence, Jenkins settled with his family in Japan, where he was granted permanent residency in 2008.
He later published a memoir describing his decades in North Korea and frequently reflected on the decision that changed his life.
Charles Robert Jenkins died on Dec. 11, 2017, at the age of 77. Cardiovascular disease was listed as his cause of death.
Jenkins’ story remains one of the most unusual episodes involving an American service member during the Cold War. His decision to defect led to decades of isolation in North Korea, followed by a return to the United States to answer for his actions through the military justice system before beginning a new life in Japan.
