Court-martialed US soldier describes decades of fear and abuse in North Korea

Charles Jenkins, a 64-year-old American sergeant, appeared before a military court at Camp Zama, Japan, pleading guilty to desertion and collaborating with the enemy. Visibly emotional, he described crossing into North Korea in January 1965 at age 24, drunk and terrified of combat duty, believing he would quickly be transferred to a third country.

Instead, Jenkins spent 39 years enduring brutal treatment, including severe beatings when he resisted orders. His circumstances improved after he met Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga in 1980; the two eventually married and had two daughters. Soga was repatriated to Japan in 2002, and the family reunited in Indonesia before Jenkins surrendered to US authorities. A plea agreement was reached, though the judge had not yet announced sentencing.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.