Charles Robert Jenkins

Charles Robert Jenkins
Charles Jenkins in Niigata, Japan, 2007
Born	(1940-02-18) February 18, 1940 (age 76) Rich Square, North Carolina, U.S.
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1955—1965 (Deserted); 2004
Rank	Private E-1
Unit	National Guard 1st Cavalry Division

Charles Robert Jenkins (born February 18, 1940) is a former United States Army soldier who lived in North Korea from 1965 to 2004 after deserting from his unit and crossing the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Jenkins was born in Rich Square, North Carolina. He joined the National Guard in 1955, aged 15, well below the minimum enlistment age. He joined the regular army in 1958 and was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. He served in South Korea from 1960 to 1961, in Europe from 1962 to 1964, and in South Korea again.

In South Korea, Jenkins was assigned to night patrols. He subsequently crossed into North Korea and surrendered to forces there, in hopes of being sent to the USSR and then, through prisoner exchange, eventually returned to the United States. Shortly thereafter, North Korean propaganda declared that a U.S. sergeant had defected, and broadcast statements allegedly made by the defector, reportedly in stilted English. The U.S. Army claimed Jenkins wrote four letters stating his intention to defect (an allegation Jenkins denies); however, the original letters are reportedly lost. His relatives maintained throughout his absence that he was abducted.

Information about Jenkins' status was unavailable outside North Korea for many years. Jenkins says he almost immediately regretted his desertion. He says that he and three other U.S. servicemen, Larry Abshier, Jerry Parrish and James Dresnok, were quarantined in a one-room house with no running water for seven years until 1972, where they were made to study the Juche philosophy of Kim Il-sung daily. They were forced to memorize large passages of Kim's in Korean, and beaten frequently by their guards.