Charles Jenkins, U.S. soldier who deserted to North Korea, dies

new rules, new movies, new york, new nepali movie, new music, new rules remix, new hindi movies, new order, new hindi song, new punjabi song, new songs, new album,

TOKYO — An American soldier who deserted to North Korea in one of the strangest dramas of the Cold War has died in Japan. He was 77.

Charles Robert Jenkins was a 24-year-old army sergeant nicknamed "Scooter" when he disappeared while on patrol near the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea in January 1965.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Embed

 U.S. deserter to North Korea dies in Japan 1:05

At an emotional court martial in Japan in 2004, Jenkins — who didn't attend high school — said he deserted to avoid hazardous duty in South Korea and escape combat in Vietnam.

"It was Christmas time, it was also cold and dark. I started to drink alcohol. I never had drunk so much alcohol," he said, choking back sobs.

Charles Robert Jenkins in the 1950s. Courtesy of Michael Cooke via AP

He drank 10 beers, took his men on patrol and told them to wait while he checked the road below. He then walked towards North Korea, holding a rifle with a white T-shirt tied around it. He said he had planned to go to Russia and turn himself in, and had not expected North Korea to keep him.

While in North Korea, Jenkins taught English to soldiers and portrayed an evil U.S. spy in a propaganda film.

He also met and married Hitomi Soga, a Japanese woman 20 years his junior who had been kidnapped by Pyongyang to help train spies in 1978.

Fear for his safety and the family he built with Soga made it impossible to refuse any demands made on him, Jenkins said.

Related: This girl was abducted by North Korea in 1977

The couple had two daughters, Mika and Blinda. His wife was allowed to visit Japan in 2002 and stayed. Jenkins and their daughters followed in 2004.

Once in Japan, Jenkins in 2004 was subject to the U.S. court martial.

Charles Jenkins in 2004. Toshiyuki Aizawa / Reuters file

Jenkins, who is originally from Rich Square, N.C., pleaded guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy and was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 25 days in a U.S. military jail in Japan.

Jenkins and his family lived in Soga's hometown of Sado, where he was a popular worker at a local souvenir shop and could often be seen posing in photos with visiting tourists.

Jenkins was found collapsed outside his home in Sado, northern Japan, on Monday and rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead, a group representing families of Japanese abductees to North Koreas said Tuesday.

new amazon echo, new audi a7, new anime, new action movies, new americana, new audi a8, new age, new amharic music, new animation movies, a new hope, a new world, a new england, a new beginning, a new commandment, a new dawn, a new girlfriend, a new hope ending, a new hope trailer, a new brain, new bollywood movies, new bollywood songs, new bangla song, new bangla natok, new bangla movie, new bae, new boyz, new balance, new bhojpuri song, new baby, bbc news, b news nation, bbc news intro, b news bijapur, bbc news theme, b news kolhapur, b new movie, b new song 2017, b news now open, b news live, new car, new cartoon, new comedy, new call of duty, new comedy movies, new cod, new choppa, new channel, new cartoon movies, new classic, c news, c news marathi, c new boston, c news foot, c news today news, c news khammam, c news tv, c newton, c news marathi sangamner, c news france, new dust 2, new day, new dance, new drug in brazil, new driving test, new dog, new drama, new dj song, new delhi, new dust 2 smokes, d news, d news sleep, d news antimatter, d news weed, d news samastipur, d news god, d news planet 9, d news death, d news drugs, d news stem cells, new english songs, new english movie, new eminem, new england, new eritrean music, new episode, new ethiopian movie, new ethiopian music, new ed sheeran, e news, e news kenya, e news jim carrey, e news the rundown, e news kylie pregnant, e news charles melton, e news harvey weinstein, e news reporter, e news odia, e news kuwtk, new films, new found glory, new flame, new face, new film trailers, new films 2017, new films 2018, new full movies, new freezer, new funny video, f new rules, f new song, f news live, f new movie, f new york, f new account, big f new episode, n m f news, big f new season, w w f new, new girl, new games, new grime, new game trailers, new gen, new gta, new generation, new giggs, new ghost adventures, new gadgets, g news, g news live, g newz, g new song, g news comedy, g news india, g news punjabi, g news sea1997, g news live tv, g news india live, new hindi movie 2017, new hindi song 2017, new hope club, new hairstyle, new hindi movie trailer, new hindi dubbed movies, new house, new hollywood movies, h newton, h new song 2017, h new song, h new tv, h news hindi, h new songs 2016, h new movie, h newman marsh trail, h new movie 2016, triple h new haircut, new indian movies, new indian songs, new iphone, new it movie, new intro, new iphone x, new islamabad airport, new indian bangla movie, new inventions, new indian movies 2017, i news, i need, i newspaper, i new rules, i need your love, i news live, i new movies, i new song, i news tv, i knew you were trouble, new jack city, new jersey, new jack swing, new justice league trailer, new jam, new job, new jerusalem, new jason, new jordans, new japan, j new song, j newsom, j newton, j newman, j news live, j newton howard, j new song 2017, j news telugu, j newz