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That's a mistake found on several sites, including IMDB. The actor was actually Charles Borromel, who happened to look like Jenkins. I'll do the correction on IMDB.
Tag: references removed
- uncited claims; + expansion w/100% verification to reliable sources;
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{{short description|American defector to North Korea}}
{{short description|US Army defector (1940–2017)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Other people|Charles Jenkins}}
{{Infobox person
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}
| name = Charles Robert Jenkins
{{Infobox military person
| name = Charles Robert Jenkins
| image = SGT Charles Robert Jenkins 2004-09-11 (cropped).jpg
| alt = A candid photo of a white man in a woodland-camoflauge US Army uniform; he is looking downward and to the left of the camera
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|02|18}}
| caption = SGT Jenkins in September 2004
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|12|11|1940|02|18}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1940|02|18|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Rich Square, North Carolina]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Rich Square, North Carolina|Rich Square, NC]], US
| death_place = [[Sado, Niigata]], Japan
| death_date = {{death-date and age|11 Dec. 2017|18 Feb. 1940}}
| placeofburial =
| death_place = [[Sado, Niigata]], [[Japan]]
| placeofburial_label = Place of burial
| image = CharlesJenkinsJI1 (cropped).jpg
| other_names = "Super"
| citizenship = {{unbulleted list|[[birthright citizenship in the United States|United States]] (1940)|[[citizenship in North Korea|North Korea]] (1972)}}
| caption = Jenkins in Niigata, Japan in 2007
| occupation = {{hlist|Soldier|merchant}}
| nickname =
| spouse = {{marriage|Hitomi Soga|8 August 1980}}
| allegiance = {{flagu|United States}} (1955–1965; 2004)<br />{{flag|North Korea}} (1965–2004)<br />{{flag|Japan}} (2004–2017)
| branch = {{Army|United States|name=U.S. Army}}
| children = Two daughters
| criminal_charges = {{unbulleted list|[[Desertion#United States|Desertion]]|[[Uniform Code of Military Justice#Punitive articles|Aiding the enemy]]}}
| serviceyears = 1955–1958, 1958–1965 (deserted), 2004
| criminal_penalty = 25 days imprisonment
| rank = [[Private (rank)|Private]] (demoted from sergeant)
| module = {{Infobox military person |embed=yes
| commands =
| unit = {{plainlist|
| allegiance = United States
| branch = {{unbulleted list|[[Army National Guard|Nat'l Guard]] (1955–1958)|[[United States Army|US Army]] (1958–2005)}}
* {{Dodseal|ARNG|25}} [[Army National Guard]]
| branch_label = Branch
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division.svg|size=23px}} [[1st Cavalry Division (United States)|1st Cavalry Division]]<ref>http://cbsnews1.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2011/12/19/f122611e-a643-11e2-a3f0-029118418759/thumbnail/620x350/71baaf6891607575f9caa126bd07f31b/Charles-Robert-Jenkins-640.jpg {{Bare URL image|date=March 2022}}</ref>
| serviceyears_label = Years
}}
| rank = [[Private (rank)#United States Army|Private]] (from [[Sergeant#Army_10|Sergeant]])
| battles =
| unit = {{unbulleted list|[[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division]]|[[3rd Armored Division (United States)|3rd Armored Division]]|[[8th Cavalry Regiment]]|[[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Fleet Activities Yokosuka]]}}
| awards =
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Hitomi Soga]]|August 8, 1980}}
| known_for = [[Desertion]] to North Korea }}
| children = 2 (Roberta Mika Jenkins and Brinda Carol Jenkins)
}}
}}


'''Charles Robert Jenkins''' ({{birth date|1940|02|18|df=yes}}{{spaced en dash}}{{death date|2017|12|11|df=yes}}) was a [[United States Army]] [[desertion|deserter]], North Korean prisoner, and voice for [[North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens|Japanese abductees in North Korea]].
'''Charles Robert Jenkins''' (February 18, 1940 – December 11, 2017)<ref name=johnston>{{cite news|title=Charles Jenkins, husband of Japanese ex-abductee to North Korea Hitomi Soga, dies at 77|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/12/national/charles-jenkins-husband-japanese-ex-abductee-north-korea-hitomi-soga-dies-77|work=The Japan Times Online|date=December 12, 2017|last1=Johnston|first1=Eric|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212012614/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/12/national/charles-jenkins-husband-japanese-ex-abductee-north-korea-hitomi-soga-dies-77#.Wi8weUtx0Wo|archive-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref> was a [[United States Army]] soldier who lived in [[North Korea]] from 1965 to 2004 after [[desertion|deserting]] his unit and crossing the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]].<ref name="cbsnews2005">{{cite news| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/20/60minutes/main959455.shtml | work=CBS News | last1=Schorn|first1=Daniel|title=Deserter Recalls N. Korean Hell|date=February 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126213459/https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/20/60minutes/main959455.shtml|archive-date=January 26, 2013}}</ref><ref name="United Nations Human Rights Council 2014"/>


It was a fear of combat and possible service in the [[Vietnam War]] that led then-[[Sergeant#Army_10|Sergeant]] Jenkins to abandon his patrol and walk across the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]] in January 1965. Instead of being sent to the [[Soviet Union]] and then [[prisoner exchange|traded]] back to the US, Jenkins was held captive in North Korea for over 39 years. While held prisoner, Jenkins was tortured, forced to wed a captured Japanese national, and performed in North Korean [[propaganda]] videos.
Jenkins was one of six US soldiers who defected to North Korea after the Korean War, but the only one who managed to leave the country, the others having died of natural causes in North Korea. After his escape and reunion with his family in the United States, Jenkins settled for the rest of his life in Japan, where he died in 2017. He was survived by his Japanese wife and two daughters, all of whom also escaped North Korea.


With improved Japanese–North Korean relations, Jenkins was allowed to travel to Japan and flee the communist Korean state in 2004. After reporting to [[Camp Zama]] that September, Jenkins was [[court-martial]]ed and served 25 days in the [[military prison|brig]] at [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka]]. Until his death in 2017, Jenkins lived in his wife's childhood [[Sado, Niigata|Sado]] home with her and their two daughters, wrote a book about his experiences in North Korea, worked in a local museum, and was treated like a celebrity by the Japanese.
==Military service and desertion==
{{Multiple image| width = 150
|image1=Charles Robert Jenkins (1950).jpg
|image2=
|footer=Jenkins during his time as a soldier in the U.S. Army}}
Jenkins was born in 1940 in [[Rich Square, North Carolina]]. He joined the [[United States National Guard|Army National Guard]] in 1955, aged 15, below the minimum enlistment age. He joined the Regular Army in 1958 and was assigned to the [[1st Cavalry Division (United States)|1st Cavalry Division]]. He served in [[Second Republic of South Korea|South Korea]] from 1960 to 1961, in West Germany from 1962 to 1964, and in South Korea again from 1964 to 1965.<ref name="atimes1">{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/FF05Dh05.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040614014002/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/FF05Dh05.html |url-status=unfit |archive-date=June 14, 2004 |work=Asia Times|title=The strange saga of Charles Robert Jenkins|first=J Sean|last=Curtin |publisher=Atimes.com |date=June 5, 2004 |access-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref>


==Personal life==
In South Korea, Jenkins was assigned to night patrols. He was alarmed about the prospect of being transferred to what he considered certain death in the [[Vietnam War]]. On the evening of January 4 or 5, 1965,<ref name="Lusher">{{cite news |last1=Lusher |first1=Adam |title=The bizarre life story of the US soldier who defected to North Korea in 1965 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/charles-robert-jenkins-dead-us-soldier-defector-north-korea-life-story-communism-propaganda-films-court-martial-a8106171.html |work=The Independent |date=12 December 2017 }}</ref> he crossed into North Korea "after guzzling 10 beers for courage",<ref name="LATimes" /> and surrendered to forces there. His hope was that he would be sent to the Soviet Union 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 denied); however, the original letters are reportedly lost. His relatives maintained throughout his absence that he was abducted.<ref name="cbsnews2005"/>
On {{birth date|1940|02|18|df=yes}}, Charles Robert Jenkins was born in [[Rich Square, North Carolina]].<ref name="2017-12-12 NYT" /> Jenkins dropped out of the [[seventh grade#United States|seventh grade]] soon after the death of his father in the mid-1950s.<ref name="2004-09-01 FEER" /> In 2004, Jenkins' younger sister (Pat Harrell)<ref name="2004-11-04 NYT" /> and his mother (Pattie Casper; born in {{birth based on age as of date|91|2004|06|01|noage=1|mos=1}}) still lived in the state.<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes" /> Casper died in Rich Square at age 94, and was buried by Jenkins.<ref name="2009-07-16 LAT" />


In 1978, Hitomi Soga was a Japanese [[student nurse]] in [[Sado, Niigata]] when she and her mother were [[North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens|kidnapped by North Korean agents]] and taken to their country to train more agents there.<ref name="2017-12-12 Japan Times" /> At the direction of the [[government of North Korea|North Korean government]], the 21-year-old Soga was assigned to Jenkins in 1980, and they were married weeks later<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes" /> on 8 August.<ref name="2004-06-05 Asia Times" /> They had two daughters: Mika (born in 1983) and Brinda (born in 1985). An interviewer of Jenkins would later tell ''[[The Japan Times]]'' that Jenkins' relationship with Soga was remarkable: Jenkins said "several times that she was the best thing that had ever happened to him […] 'She saved my life,' he told me. I suspect he was right."<ref name="2017-12-12 Japan Times" /> After their release from North Korea in the early 2000s, Jenkins offered to [[dissolution (law)|dissolve]] their marriage, as it had been imposed upon them; Soga declined.<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes" />
==Life in North Korea==
Information about Jenkins' status was unavailable outside North Korea for many years. Jenkins said he almost immediately regretted his desertion. He said that for seven years, until 1972, he and three other U.S. Army deserters—[[Larry Abshier]], [[Jerry Parrish]], and [[James Dresnok]]—were quarantined in a one-room house with no running water, where they were made to study the ''[[Juche]]'' philosophy of [[Kim Il-sung]] daily. They were forced to memorize large passages of Kim's writings in Korean, and beaten frequently by their guards.<ref name="atimes1"/>


==US Army==
He said that at one point in 1966, he found his way to the Soviet embassy in [[Pyongyang]] and requested [[Right of asylum|asylum]], which was denied. Eventually, Jenkins was placed in separate housing and began teaching English at the [[Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies]].<ref name="United Nations Human Rights Council 2014"/><ref name="LATimes">{{cite web|first=John M.|last=Glionna |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/16/world/fg-japan-jenkins16 |title=Second life of GI who deserted to North Korea |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=July 16, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref>
[[File:Charles Robert Jenkins (1950).jpg|thumb|left|alt=A portrait photo of a white man in a Cold-War US military uniform; he is facing the camera, looking into the lens|Jenkins in a 1950s US Army photo]]
Lacking a [[high school diploma]],<ref name="2015-11 BBC" /> Jenkins enlisted in the [[Army National Guard]] from 1955 through April 1958. After his [[honorable discharge]] from the Guard,<ref name="2004-09-01 FEER" /> he enlisted in the active-duty [[United States Army]] that same year<ref name="2008-03-13 WSJ" /><ref name="2017-12-12 Independent" /> as a light weapons [[infantryman]]. First stationed at [[Fort Hood]], Jenkins next volunteered to [[military deployment|deploy]] with the [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division]] to South Korea<ref name="2021 The Army Lawyer" /> from August 1960{{spaced en dash}}September 1961; while there, he was promoted to [[sergeant#Army_10|sergeant]].<ref name="2004-09-01 FEER" /> After briefly returning to the US, Jenkins was assigned to the [[3rd Armored Division (United States)|3rd Armored Division]] in [[West Germany]] until 1964.<ref name="2021 The Army Lawyer" /> That year, he volunteered for a second deployment to the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]].<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes" />


===Desertion===
In 1980, 40-year-old Jenkins was introduced to 21-year-old [[Hitomi Soga]], a Japanese nursing student who had been [[North Korean abductions of Japanese|abducted by North Korean agents in 1978]], along with her mother, during a search for Japanese citizens who could train future spies in Japanese language and culture. Soga's mother was never heard from again, and Soga was "given" to Jenkins. Thirty-eight days after meeting, they were married. They had two daughters, Roberta Mika Jenkins (born 1983) and Brinda Carol Jenkins (born 1985). In 1982, Jenkins appeared in the North Korean film ''[[Unsung Heroes (film)|Unsung Heroes]]'', which provided the first evidence to the Western world that he was alive. The U.S. government did not publicly reveal this information until 1996.<ref name="cbsnews2005"/><ref name="United Nations Human Rights Council 2014"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42321400|title=US defector's extraordinary N Korea love story|first=Rebecca|last=Seales|work=BBC News|date=December 14, 2017|access-date=July 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42319115|title=American who defected to North Korea dies|work=BBC News|date=December 12, 2017|access-date=July 17, 2019}}</ref>
On 5 January 1965, 24-year-old Sergeant Jenkins was stationed in [[South Korea]] with the Army's [[8th Cavalry Regiment]]<ref name="2004-06-05 Asia Times" /> when he decided to [[desertion|desert]] the [[United States Armed Forces]]; he was being ordered to lead "more aggressive, provocative patrols", and there were rumors that his unit would be sent to [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]].<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes" /> After drinking ten [[beer]]s to build his courage,<ref name="2009-07-16 LAT" /> Jenkins went on patrol with his [[squad#United States Army|squad]]. At 2:30am, after telling the other three men that "he heard a noise", Jenkins disappeared into the night approximately {{convert|10|km|spell=in}} south of [[Panmunjom]].<ref name="2004-06-05 Asia Times" /> To show his peaceful intentions, he removed the rounds from<ref name="2017-12-12 Independent" /> his [[M14 rifle]], and [[white flag|tied a white t-shirt]] to the muzzle before walking for several cold hours towards North Korea.<ref name="2004-12-13 Time" /> He had planned to claim [[right of asylum|asylum]] with the [[Soviet Union]] and then return to the US for discharge and punishment via a [[prisoner exchange]].<ref name="2017-12-12 BBC" /><ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> He was instead held prisoner in North Korea for 39.51 years.<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes" />


The Army declared Jenkins a [[defection|defector]] based on four letters that he left behind in his [[barracks]]; one, addressed to his mother, read: "Forgive me, for I know what I must do. Tell my family I love them. Love, Charles." Jenkins' family disputed this determination because he "always either signed letters 'Robert' or used his nickname 'Super'." In 1996, Jenkins was reclassified by the US military as a deserter.<ref name="2004-06-05 Asia Times" /> Jenkins' nephew, James Hyman, was a decades-long strident defendant of the theory that his uncle had been kidnapped by North Koreans.<ref name="2004-12-13 Time" />
==Confirmation and return==
[[File:Charles Robert Jenkins getting haircut in Zama, Japan (September 13, 2004) (cropped).png|thumb|Jenkins in September 2004, getting a haircut to conform to US Army grooming regulations]]
Jenkins drew international interest again in 2002, when North Korean leader [[Kim Jong-il]] confirmed that North Korea had abducted Japanese citizens. In an effort at ''[[détente]]'', surviving abductees were allowed to travel to Japan, including Jenkins' wife. The visit was intended to last for a week, but the Japanese government chose not to return them on schedule and instead negotiated for their families to join them in Japan. Most of the families did ultimately travel to Japan, but Jenkins and his daughters stayed behind out of fear that the North Korean government was testing his loyalty.<ref name="cbsnews2005"/>


Jenkins would later tell Professor Robert Boynton (of [[New York University]]'s [[Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute]]) "that he had been a double-agent, sent to North Korea by the U.S. to spy on them". Boynton disbelieved Jenkins' claim, calling it "his attempt to maintain some dignity, and prove he wasn’t just a hapless sap who made a life-altering mistake."<ref name="2017-12-12 Japan Times" />
After assurances of protection from the Japanese government, he traveled with his daughters to Japan by way of Indonesia for medical treatment, arriving in Japan in July 2004. Japan formally requested a pardon for Jenkins,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20040516a1.html |title=Japan asks U.S. to pardon abductee's American husband|publisher= The Japan Times Online |website=japantimes.co.jp |date=May 16, 2004 |access-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref> which the U.S. declined to grant. After expressing a desire to put his conscience at rest, Jenkins reported on September 11, 2004, to [[Camp Zama]] in Japan. He reported in respectful military form, [[salute|saluting]] the receiving [[United States Army Military Police Corps|military police]] officer.


==In North Korea==
On November 3, Jenkins pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and aiding the enemy, but denied making disloyal or seditious statements—the latter charges were dropped. He was sentenced to 30 days' confinement, received a [[dishonorable discharge]], forfeiture of all pay and benefits and was [[Reduction in rank|reduced in rank]] to [[U.S. uniformed services pay grades|E-1]] private (the lowest rank in the US Army). He was released six days early, on November 27, 2004, for good behavior.<ref name="cbsnews2005"/>
Jenkins was initially housed with fellow US deserters [[Larry Allen Abshier]], [[James Joseph Dresnok]], and [[Jerry Wayne Parrish]].<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes" /> The American men fought amongst themselves, with Jenkins later describing the {{convert|6|ft|4|in|adj=on}} Dresnok as a [[bullying|bully]] who informed on the others to their captors.<ref name="2017-12-12 Independent" /> Three weeks after his desertion, North Korean radio announced that Jenkins had defected for a "better life" there.<ref name="2004-06-05 Asia Times" /> In 1966, the four men attempted escape by seeking asylum at the [[list of diplomatic missions of Russia#Asia|Soviet embassy in Pyongyang]], but were unsuccessful.<ref name="2014-02-07 OHCHR" />


During his imprisonment in North Korea, Jenkins was made to memorize [[Kim Il-sung]]'s writings and work for the [[communist state]] as an English teacher and translator.<ref name="2017-12-12 Japan Times" /> Jenkins' lessons in [[American English]] lasted until 1985 when it was decided that his pronounced [[Southern American English|Southern accent]] was more a hinderance than not.<ref name="2017-12-12 Independent" />
During his return, Jenkins also revealed a tip-off about the possible whereabouts of one of the victims from one of [[Singapore]]'s most famous missing persons cases. The missing persons case involved the disappearance of five female social escorts, consisting of four Malaysians and one Singaporean, who were last seen boarding a ship to attend a supposed party on 19 August 1978. Jenkins stated that he saw one of the missing women, Malaysian [[Yeng Yoke Fun]] (aged 22 in 1978), in a North Korean amusement park in 1980 or 1981, and even recognised her from her mole when he was shown the photographs of the five missing women, sparking renewed interest and hope for both [[Malaysia]] and Singapore to locate the five missing women. Despite so, the women remained missing and there was little evidence to support Jenkins' claims.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/kim-jong-nam-murder-rekindles-interest-in-suspected-abduction-off-singapore-nearly-40|title=Kim Jong Nam murder rekindles interest in suspected abduction off Singapore nearly 40 years ago|date=5 March 2017|website=The Straits Times|access-date=2021-05-30}}</ref>


In 1972, the four US servicemen in North Korea were given their own homes and declared [[citizenship in North Korea|citizens]], though their "constant surveillance, beatings and torture" continued.<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> During the [[North Korean famine]] that killed millions of North Koreans, as an asset for propaganda, Jenkins and his family still received rations of clothing, insect-infested rice, and soap.<ref name="2017-12-12 Independent" /> In their 2004 testimony, Jenkins and Soga told the US Army about their living accommodations in North Korea—or lack thereof. While heat, warm water, and food were scarce, the omnipresent state surrounded them and their home with [[barbed wire]], hidden microphones, and "political supervisors".<ref name="2004-11-04 NYT" /> By the time he left, Jenkins was receiving from the North Korean government a monthly income of {{US$|120|2004}}, and his daughters were enrolled at the [[Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies]],<ref name="2004-12-13 Time" /> possibly for training to infiltrate [[South Korea]].<ref name="2004-12-13 Time" /><ref name="2021 The Army Lawyer" />
==Final years and death==


===Acting===
Jenkins and his family settled on [[Sado, Niigata|Sado Island]] in Japan, which is Soga's home. On June 14, 2005, Jenkins, his wife, and two daughters traveled to the United States to visit his 91-year-old mother in [[North Carolina]], returning later in the month.<ref name="cbsnews2005"/> He found work as a greeter at a shop in Japan.<ref name="LATimes"/>
In 1978, production began on the 20-film series ''[[Unsung Heroes]]'' which tells the North Korean version of the [[Korean War]] and its antecedents. Jenkins was made to play Dr. Kelton, a [[capitalism|capitalist]] warmonger who endeavored to extend the war to benefit the US [[arms industry]]. These films made Jenkins a celebrity; he was recognized on the street as "Dr. Kelton!" ({{lang-ko |text=«&#8197;켈튼 박사!&#8197;» |translit="Kelton Bac-Sa!"}}) and made to sign [[autograph]]s.<ref name="2015-11 BBC" /> One of these films was delivered to Jenkins' family in 1997&mdash;their first sight of Jenkins since his desertion.<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes" />


1988's ''[[Ten Zan: The Ultimate Mission]]'' was shot in North Korea, and Jenkins was cast in the villainous role of Professor Larson; co-star [[Romano Kristoff]] later recalled the American was "a very good actor and a very humble human being."<ref name="2020-06 Nanarland" /> Jenkins' last North Korean film was in 2000, about the communists' capture of {{USS|Pueblo|AGER-2}},<ref name="2015-11 BBC" /> portraying a US [[aircraft carrier]] captain.<ref name="2008-03-13 WSJ" /> His celebrity status as an alleged-defector-turned-movie-star also afforded him greater social cachet as a state prize, allowing him to see Soviet dignitaries and diplomats who piteously slipped him materials and information from outside the Korean state.<ref name="2009-09-22 Vice" />
There were three other U.S. deserters who remained in North Korea as well: [[James Joseph Dresnok]] (who was interviewed for a 2006 British documentary, ''[[Crossing the Line (documentary)|Crossing the Line]]''), Private [[Larry Allen Abshier]], and Specialist [[Jerry Wayne Parrish]]. The former two defected in 1962, while the latter defected in 1963.<ref name="United Nations Human Rights Council 2014"/> Dresnok continued to live in North Korea until his death in 2016. According to North Korean official reports, Abshier and Parrish died of natural causes while living in that country.<ref name="60mins">"An American in North Korea", ''60 Minutes'', CBS Television. Produced by Robert G. Anderson and Casey Morgan. Reported by Bob Simon. First broadcast on January 28, 2007.</ref>


==Expatriation==
On July 15, 2008, Jenkins obtained permanent residency status in Japan, a month after he applied for the status.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080716b2.html |title = Jenkins gets permanent residency |newspaper = [[The Japan Times]] |date = July 16, 2008 |access-date = September 26, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Jenkins commented that he wanted to stay in Japan for the rest of his life, and would also like to obtain [[Japanese nationality law|Japanese citizenship]].<ref>[http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20080715-OYT1T00377.htm ジェンキンスさんに永住許可「死ぬまでここにいたい」] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.fo/20090224200418/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20080715-OYT1T00377.htm |date=February 24, 2009 }}. [[Yomiuri Shimbun]] Internet Japanese edition, July 15, 2008. Retrieved on July 16, 2008 {{in lang|ja}}.</ref> He died at age 77 on December 11, 2017.<ref name="johnston" />
Due to the 2002 [[Japan–North Korea Pyongyang Declaration]], Soga was allowed to leave for Japan on 15 October<ref name="2004-06-05 Asia Times" /> for ten days; she did not return to North Korea.<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> The [[government of Japan]] even petitioned the US to pardon Jenkins, hoping [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Junichiro Koizumi]] could bring back the American and his daughters after a May diplomatic trip.<ref name="2004-05-16 Japan Times" /> Ultimately, they refused to leave; because of the [[U.S.–Japan Status of Forces Agreement]], he still faced [[court-martial]] if he traveled to Japan&mdash;because the [[statute of limitations]] for [[desertion]] was 40 years (5 January 2005)&mdash;and possible [[capital punishment]].<ref name="2004-06-05 Asia Times" />


Instead, Pyongyang eventually permitted Jenkins to fly to [[Soekarno–Hatta International Airport]] in [[Indonesia]] where they reunited with Soga<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> and the [[government of Japan|Japanese government]] promised residency for the whole family.<ref name="2017-12-12 Japan Times" /> After his release from North Korea, Jenkins was {{convert|1.65|m}} tall,<ref name="2004-09-01 FEER" /> and only weighed {{convert|100|lb}},<ref name="2009-07-16 LAT" /> having lost his [[appendix (anatomy)|appendix]], one [[testicle]], and part of a [[military tattoo|US Army tattoo]] (cut off without [[anesthetic]]) to North Korea. Of the four 1960s deserters to North Korea, he was the only one to ever leave.<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> Upon arrival in Japan from Indonedia, Jenkins spent a month in the hospital at [[Tokyo Women's Medical University]]<ref name="2004-09-01 FEER" /> to recover from [[prostate surgery]] [[complication (medicine)|complications]] (performed in North Korea before he left).<ref name="2004-12-13 Time" />
==Memoirs==
Jenkins published a book in Japanese in October 2005, titled ''To Tell the Truth'' ({{lang-ja|告白}}; [[Romaji]]: kokuhaku; {{ISBN|978-4047915107}}), about his experiences in North Korea. A [[Korean language|Korean]]-language edition was also released in June 2006 by Mulpure Publishing of South Korea. (Korean: 고백, ''kobaek'', {{ISBN|978-8981102340}})<ref>{{citation|title=Escape from Pyongyang|first=James|last=Card|date=November–December 2006|periodical=Foreign Policy|access-date=March 15, 2008|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3604}}{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


===Court-martial===
An English-language version, titled ''The Reluctant Communist: My Desertion, Court-Martial, and Forty-Year Imprisonment in North Korea'', co-authored with journalist [[Jim Frederick]] ({{ISBN|978-0520253339}}), was published by the [[University of California Press]] on March 1, 2008.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10992.html|contribution=Charles Robert Jenkins with Jim Frederick: The Reluctant Communist|title=New titles|publisher=University of California Press|access-date=March 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120537252745332373?mod=googlenews_wsj|title=Bookshelf: To Hell and Back|last=Schoenfeld|first=Gabriel|date=March 13, 2008|access-date=March 15, 2008|page=D9|periodical=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>
{{Infobox court case
|name = United States v. Jenkins
|court = [[United States Army, Japan]]
|image = United States Army, Japan - Shoulder sleeve insignia.svg
|imagealt =
|caption = USARJ shoulder insignia
|date decided = 3 November 2004
|judge = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Denise Vowell
|italic title = no
}}
On 11 September 2004, he presented himself to [[lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]] Paul Nigara at [[Camp Zama]], saying with a [[salute#Military salutes|salute]], "Sir, I'm Sergeant Jenkins and I'm reporting".<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> Jenkins' court-martial began and ended on 3 November 2004.<ref name="2004-11-04 NYT" /> He was the longest-missing deserter to return to the US military.<ref name="2008-03-13 WSJ" /><ref name="2017-12-12 Independent" />

Represented by [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]] James D. Culp,<ref name="2004-09-01 FEER" /> Jenkins' single-day court-martial (''United States v. Jenkins'') was convened by [[United States Army, Japan]] on 3 November 2004. [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Denise Vowell was judge for the [[bench trial]]. In accordance with his pre-trial agreement,<ref name="2021 The Army Lawyer" /> Jenkins pled guilty to [[desertion#United States|desertion]] and [[Uniform Code of Military Justice#Punitive articles|aiding the enemy]] (the latter for teaching English in North Korea).<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> Vowell [[sentence (law)|sentenced]] him to "six months' confinement, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances, reduction to the lowest enlisted grade, and a dishonorable discharge." [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Elbert N. Perkins]], the general court-martial convening authority, changed the confinement to 30 days, and approved the remainder of the sentence,<ref name="2021 The Army Lawyer" /> to be in the [[military prison|brig]] at [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka]] (where, [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]] King H. Dietriech assured reporters, "there will be no special treatment for Private Jenkins.")<ref name="2004-11-04 NYT" />

Jenkins spent only 25 days in the brig; he was released early for [[good conduct time|good conduct]]<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> on 27 November 2004. Having waived "his post-trial and appellate rights," Jenkins' demotion and [[dishonorable discharge]] were executed on 18 July 2005.<ref name="2021 The Army Lawyer" />

[[File:JenkinsUniform.jpg|thumb|left|SGT Jenkins at court-martial]]
[[BBC News]] reported that Jenkins may have received only the 30-day [[sentence (law)|sentence]] because of the [[military intelligence|intelligence]] he provided the US.<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC" /> In 2009, Jenkins told [[Vice (magazine)|''Vice'']] that in addition to receiving a sergeant's salary while in prison<ref name="2009-09-22 Vice" />&mdash;a monthly rate of {{US$|2367.90|2004|long=no}}<ref name="2004-01-01 DFAS" />&mdash;he spent his time working with [[military intelligence]]. According to Jenkins, the sentence was "all a big set-up for the outside world so it looked like justice was done. After all, I betrayed my country and people wanted to see me get punished for that – but I was just helping the government with what I knew. They just gave me the shortest sentence possible with a week off for good behaviour so it didn’t seem like I was let off the hook."<ref name="2009-09-22 Vice" />

===Civilian life===
After his release from prison, Jenkins lived with his family in Soga's Sado childhood home. In Sado, free from North Korea, that nation was still a part of Jenkins' every day. He continued to fear that agents of [[Kim Jong-il]] would retaliate against him in Japan, he couldn't eat [[sashimi]] out of fear it would make him sick from the memories, and he was more fluent in [[Korean language|Korean]] than [[English language|English]]. To record what he remembered and experienced, Jenkins published a [[memoir]] in 2008: ''The Reluctant Communist'' ({{ISBN|978-0-520-25333-9}}).<ref name="2009-07-16 LAT" /> In Japan, Jenkins fostered an interest in [[motorcycling]]; he was featured on the cover of ''Mr. Bike'', a Japanese motorcycle-enthusiast magazine.<ref name="2009-09-22 Vice" />

The [[Ministry of Justice (Japan)|Japanese Ministry of Justice]] expedited Jenkins' application for [[permanent residency]] (in {{fraction|1|12}} the time), and awarded it to him on 15 July 2008.<ref name="2008-07-15 Yomiuri Shimbun" /><ref name="2008-07-16 Japan Times" /> He worked in Sado selling ''[[senbei]]'' at a local museum;<ref name="2017-12-12 Japan Times" /> treated like a [[celebrity]], Jenkins frequently posed for photographs with Japanese patrons, at times up to 300 per hour.<ref name="2009-07-16 LAT" /> In Japan, he was credited with helping bring global attention to the [[North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens]].<ref name="2017-12-12 Japan Times" />

On 11 December 2017, Jenkins collapsed outside his Sado home, and later died of [[cardiovascular disease]].<ref name="2017-12-12 BBC" />


==See also==
==See also==
* {{annotated link|Roy Chung}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{annotated link|Joseph T. White}}
* [[List of American and British defectors in the Korean War]]
* [[Roy Chung]], deserted in June 1979
* [[Joseph T. White]], deserted in August 1982


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{reflist |refs=


<!-- dated sources sorted chronologically -->
<ref name="United Nations Human Rights Council 2014">{{cite journal |first1= Michael Donald|last1=Kirby |authorlink1=Michael Kirby (judge) |first2=Sonja |last2=Biserko |authorlink2=Sonja Biserko |first3= Marzuki|last3=Darusman |authorlink3=Marzuki Darusman |date=February 7, 2014 |title=Report of the detailed findings of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea – A/HRC/25/CRP.1 |publisher=[[United Nations Human Rights Council]] |url= http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoIDPRK/Report/A.HRC.25.CRP.1_ENG.doc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227104633/http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoIDPRK/Report/A.HRC.25.CRP.1_ENG.doc | archive-date= February 27, 2014 |url-status=live |pages=299 (Paragraph 941) |quote= In the DPRK, Ms Soga Hitomi was married to Mr Charles Jenkins, one of the five US Army deserters who crossed over to the DPRK from their posts in the ROK voluntarily after the Korean War. Mr Jenkins—who deserted his post in the ROK in 1965—reports having lived in close proximity to the three US nationals who crossed over to the DPRK before him, Mr Larry Allen Abshier (1962), Mr James Joseph Dresnock (1962) and Mr Jerry Wayne Parrish (1963). According to Mr Jenkins, the four were closely monitored and managed with their freedom of movement seriously constrained. The four unsuccessfully attempted to escape in 1966 by seeking asylum in the Russian Embassy, after which they were convinced there was no chance they could leave the DPRK. They had crossed voluntarily, but found themselves trapped in captivity. Mr Jenkins and the couple’s two daughters were able to reunite with Ms Soga in Japan in 2004. }}</ref>

<!-- <ref name="1964-09-01 DFAS">{{cite web |date=1965-09-01 |url=https://www.dfas.mil/dam/jcr:e903048a-acec-4f3d-8286-3c7882da39f8/MilPayTable1964.pdf |title=Monthly Basic Pay and Allowances |publisher=[[Defense Finance and Accounting Service]] |location=[[Indianapolis]] |page=1 |format=[[PDF]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160553/https://www.dfas.mil/dam/jcr:e903048a-acec-4f3d-8286-3c7882da39f8/MilPayTable1964.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-11 |url-status=dead |access-date=2019-10-21}}</ref> -->

<ref name="2004-01-01 DFAS">{{cite web |date=2004-01-01 |url=https://www.dfas.mil/Portals/98/MilPayTable2004.pdf |title=BASIC PAY—EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2004 |publisher=[[Defense Finance and Accounting Service]] |page=1 |format=[[PDF]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628173544/https://www.dfas.mil/Portals/98/MilPayTable2004.pdf |archive-date=2022-06-28 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-08-27}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2004-05-16 Japan Times">{{cite news |date=2004-05-16 |title=Japan asks U.S. to pardon abductee's American husband |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20040516a1.html |url-status=dead |work=[[The Japan Times]] |language=en |issn=0447-5763 |oclc=21225620 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216072400/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20040516a1.html |archive-date=2011-02-16 |access-date=2022-08-27}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2004-06-05 Asia Times">{{cite news |last1=Curtin |first1=J Sean |date=2004-06-05 |title=The strange saga of Charles Robert Jenkins |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/FF05Dh05.html |url-status=dead |work=[[Asia Times]] |language=en |location=[[Japan]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005050828/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/FF05Dh05.html |archive-date=2007-10-05 |access-date=2019-10-21}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2004-09-01 FEER">{{cite magazine |last1=Kirk |first1=Jeremy |date=2004-09-01 |title=Four Decades in North Korea |url=http://www.feer.com/articles/2004/0409_09/free/exclusive1.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Far Eastern Economic Review]] |language=en |location=[[Tokyo]] |issn=0014-7591 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040902073721/http://www.feer.com/articles/2004/0409_09/free/exclusive1.html |archive-date=2004-09-02 |access-date=2022-08-27 |quote=One cold night in 1965, Sgt. Charles Robert Jenkins disappeared from a patrol in South Korea. Forty years later he has resurfaced. In his first interview since leaving North Korea, he tells the Review his story}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2004-11-04 NYT">{{cite news |last1=Brooke |first1=James |author-link1=James Brooke (journalist) |date=2004-11-04 |title=G.I. Deserter Tells of Cold, Hungry Times in North Korea |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/04/world/asia/gi-deserter-tells-of-cold-hungry-times-in-north-korea.html |url-status=live |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en |location=[[Camp Zama]] |page=A3 |issn=0362-4331 |oclc=1645522 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718220232/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/04/world/asia/gi-deserter-tells-of-cold-hungry-times-in-north-korea.html |archive-date=2019-07-18 |access-date=2022-03-19}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2004-12-13 Time">{{cite magazine |last1=Frederick |first1=Jim |author-link1=Jim Frederick |date=2004-12-13 |title=The Long Mistake |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en |location=[[Camp Zama]] |issn=0040-781X |oclc=1311479 |quote=In a TIME exclusive, American defector Charles Jenkins talks about his life inside North Korea}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2005-10-23 60 Minutes">{{cite news |last1=Schorn |first1=Daniel |last2=Pelley |first2=Scott |author-link2=Scott Pelley |date=2005-10-23 |title=Deserter Recalls N. Korean Hell |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/deserter-recalls-n-korean-hell/ |url-status=live |work=[[60 Minutes]] |language=en |publisher=[[CBS News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190317231948/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/deserter-recalls-n-korean-hell/ |archive-date=2019-03-17 |access-date=2022-03-19 |quote=Charles Jenkins Shares His Story Of A Hard Life Under Abusive Regime}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2008-03-13 WSJ">{{cite news |last1=Schoenfeld |first1=Gabriel |date=2008-03-13 |title=To Hell and Back |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120537252745332373 |url-status=live |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |language=en |issn=1042-9840 |oclc=781541372 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825002257/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120537252745332373 |archive-date=2015-08-25 |access-date=2022-08-27 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2008-07-15 Yomiuri Shimbun">{{cite news |date=2008-07-15 |script-title=ja:ジェンキンスさんに永住許可「死ぬまでここにいたい」 |trans-title=Permission for permanent residence to Mr. Jenkins: 'I want to stay here until I die.' |url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20080715-OYT1T00377.htm |url-status=dead |work=[[Yomiuri Shimbun]] |language=ja |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224200418/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20080715-OYT1T00377.htm |archive-date=2009-02-24 |access-date=2022-08-27}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2008-07-16 Japan Times">{{cite news |date=2008-07-06 |title=Jenkins gets permanent residency |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/07/16/news/jenkins-gets-permanent-residency/ |url-status=live |work=[[The Japan Times]] |language=en |location=[[Niigata (city)|Niigata]] |agency=[[Kyodo News]] |issn=0447-5763 |oclc=21225620 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213091759/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/07/16/news/jenkins-gets-permanent-residency/#.WjDwaS2l1qs |archive-date=2017-12-13 |access-date=2022-08-27 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2009-07-16 LAT">{{cite news |last1=Glionna |first1=John M. |date=2009-07-16 |title=Second life of GI who deserted to North Korea |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-16-fg-japan-jenkins16-story.html |url-status=live |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en |location=[[Sado, Niigata]] |issn=2165-1736 |oclc=3638237 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717173435/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-16-fg-japan-jenkins16-story.html |archive-date=2019-07-17 |access-date=2022-03-19}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2009-09-22 Vice">{{cite magazine |last1=Hoban |first1=Alex |date=2009-09-22 |title=All Slammer, No Glamour: The Reluctant North Korean Film Star |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/jm4k78/all-slammer-no-glamour-the-reluctant-north-korean-film-star |url-status=live |magazine=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |language=en |issn=1077-6788 |oclc=30856250 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504221533/https://www.vice.com/en/article/jm4k78/all-slammer-no-glamour-the-reluctant-north-korean-film-star |archive-date=2021-05-04 |access-date=2022-08-27 |quote=As far as strange and unusual punishment goes, being forced to be a film star rates highly.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2014-02-07 OHCHR">{{citation |date=2014-02-07 |title=Report of the detailed findings of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea |publisher=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |language=en |url=http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoIDPRK/Report/A.HRC.25.CRP.1_ENG.doc |access-date=2022-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622152109/http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoIDPRK/Report/A.HRC.25.CRP.1_ENG.doc |archive-date=2019-06-22 |url-status=live}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2015-11 BBC">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150923-the-us-defectors-who-became-film-stars-in-north-korea |title=The US defectors who became film stars in North Korea |last=Fowler |first=Simon |date=November 2015 |publisher=[[BBC]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508234322/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150923-the-us-defectors-who-became-film-stars-in-north-korea |archive-date=2019-05-08 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-03-19 |quote=In 1965, US soldier Charles Robert Jenkins left South Korea for the North – and he went on to become a star in the Hermit Kingdom. Simon Fowler recounts his strange tale.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2017-12-12 BBC">{{cite news |date=2017-12-12 |title=Charles Jenkins: US soldier who defected to North Korea dies |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42319115 |url-status=live |language=en |publisher=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804175422/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42319115 |archive-date=2019-08-04 |access-date=2022-03-19 |quote=A former US sergeant who defected to North Korea and became Pyongyang's prisoner for nearly 40 years has died.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2017-12-12 Independent">{{cite news |last1=Lusher |first1=Adam |date=2017-12-12 |title=Torture, brainwashing and movie stardom: The extraordinary life of Charles Jenkins, the US soldier who defected to North Korea |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/charles-robert-jenkins-dead-us-soldier-defector-north-korea-life-story-communism-propaganda-films-court-martial-a8106171.html |url-status=live |work=[[The Independent]] |language=en |issn=1741-9743 |oclc=185201487 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109034010/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/charles-robert-jenkins-dead-us-soldier-defector-north-korea-life-story-communism-propaganda-films-court-martial-a8106171.html |archive-date=2020-11-09 |access-date=2022-08-27 |url-access=subscription |quote=Charles Robert Jenkins endured beatings, hunger, the forced removal of a testicle, and became a North Korean film star by playing a Capitalist baddie in a propaganda film}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2017-12-12 Japan Times">{{cite news |last1=Johnston |first1=Eric |date=2017-12-12 |title=Charles Jenkins, U.S. defector to North Korea and husband of former Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga, dies at 77 |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/12/national/charles-jenkins-husband-japanese-ex-abductee-north-korea-hitomi-soga-dies-77 |url-status=live |work=[[The Japan Times]] |language=en |location=[[Osaka]] |issn=0447-5763 |oclc=21225620 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513124020/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/12/national/charles-jenkins-husband-japanese-ex-abductee-north-korea-hitomi-soga-dies-77 |archive-date=2019-05-13 |access-date=2022-03-19 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2017-12-12 NYT">{{cite news |last1=Ramzy |first1=Austin |date=2017-12-12 |title=Charles Jenkins, 77, U.S. Soldier Who Regretted Fleeing to North Korea, Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/obituaries/charles-jenkins-north-korea-defector.html |url-status=live |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en |issn=1553-8095 |oclc=1645522 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312212654/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/obituaries/charles-jenkins-north-korea-defector.html |archive-date=2019-03-12 |access-date=2022-03-19 |page=12}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2017-12-14 BBC">{{cite news |last1=Seales |first1=Rebecca |date=2017-12-14 |title=How forced marriage saved a US defector in North Korea |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42321400 |url-status=live |language=en |publisher=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430172921/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42321400 |archive-date=2019-04-30 |access-date=2022-03-19 |quote=Every night before going to bed, US defector Charles Jenkins turned to Hitomi Soga, the woman North Korea had forced him to marry, and kissed her three times.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2020-06 Nanarland">{{cite interview |last=Kristoff |first=Romano |subject-link=Romano Kristoff |interviewer-first=John |interviewer-last=Nada |title=Entretien avec Romano Kristoff |work=Nanarland |date=June 2020 |url=https://www.nanarland.com/interviews/entretiens/en/interview-de-romano-kristoff.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717094051/https://www.nanarland.com/interviews/entretiens/en/interview-de-romano-kristoff.html |archive-date=2022-07-17 |access-date=2020-08-27 |language=en}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->

<ref name="2021 The Army Lawyer">{{cite journal |last1=Borch III |first1=Fred L. |author-link1=Fred Borch |year=2021 |title=Stranger than Fiction: The GI Who Fled to North Korea for Forty Years |url=https://tjaglcs.army.mil/tal-2021-issue-1/-/asset_publisher/jhkg/content/lore-of-the-corps |journal=The Army Lawyer |language=en |issue=1 |access-date=2022-08-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/8vPCW |archive-date=2022-08-27}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->


}}
}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Talmadge, Eric "Deserter Adjusting to Life on Japan Island". Associated Press. January 31, 2005.
* "U.S. Army Deserter to Seek U.S. Passport". Associated Press. February 28, 2005.
{{Refend}}


==External links==
==Further reading==
* {{cite magazine |title=Escape from Pyongyang |magazine=[[Foreign Policy]] |issn=0015-7228 |date=November–December 2006 |last1=Card |first1=James}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{cite book |title=The Reluctant Communist: My Desertion, Court-Martial, and Forty-Year Imprisonment in North Korea |last1=Jenkins |first=Charles Robert |last2=Frederick |first2=Jim |author2-link=Jim Frederick |date=March 2008 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=9780520259997}}<!-- https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520259997/the-reluctant-communist -->
* [http://www.feer.com/articles/2004/0409_09/free/exclusive1.html FEER interview with Jenkins, September 1, 2004]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040614014002/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/FF05Dh05.html Asia Times – The strange saga of Charles Robert Jenkins]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3753967.stm BBC News – North Korea's mystery guest]
* [[Jim Frederick|Frederick, Jim]] (December 6, 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20050113043612/http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501041213-880313,00.html "The Long Mistake"]. ''[[Time Asia]]''.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4093134.stm US deserter reunited with mother]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050319235057/http://www.korea-is-one.org/article.php3?id_article=637 "Last Surviving US defector to North Korea speaks out", from the ''Korea Times'', August 19, 2004]
* [https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/20/60minutes/main959455.shtml "Deserter Recalls N. Korean Hell"] – Interview of Jenkins by [[Scott Pelley]] of [[CBS]]'s ''[[60 Minutes]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620145941/http://www.dprkstudies.org/2007/05/12/kokuhaku-pictures/ "Kokuhaku: Pictures"], [https://web.archive.org/web/20070518113614/http://www.dprkstudies.org/2007/05/12/kokuhaku-pictures-2/ "Kokuhaku: Pictures 2"] – Photos and translations from Jenkins' book published in Japan.
* [https://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/all-slammer-no-glamour-the-reluctant-north-korean-film-star "The Reluctant North Korean Film Star"] – Interview with Charles Jenkins about film work and collaborating with the US government by Alex Hoban


==External links==
{{Authority control}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Charles Robert Jenkins}}


{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Charles Robert}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Charles Robert}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:American defectors]]
[[Category:20th-century actors]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel who were court-martialed]]
[[Category:Deserters]]
[[Category:American expatriates in North Korea]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Japan]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Japan]]
[[Category:American expatriates in North Korea]]
[[Category:American people imprisoned in North Korea]]
[[Category:American people imprisoned in North Korea]]
[[Category:deserters]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of the United States military]]
[[Category:North Korean male film actors]]
[[Category:People from Rich Square, North Carolina]]
[[Category:People from Sado, Niigata]]
[[Category:Korean people of American descent]]
[[Category:Korean people of American descent]]
[[Category:Korean people of British descent]]
[[Category:National Guard (United States) personnel]]
[[Category:North Korean male film actors]]
[[Category:people from Rich Square, North Carolina]]
[[Category:people from Sado, Niigata]]
[[Category:prisoners and detainees of the United States military]]
[[Category:teachers of English as a second or foreign language]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel who were court-martialed]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]

Revision as of 02:02, 28 August 2022

Charles Robert Jenkins
A candid photo of a white man in a woodland-camoflauge US Army uniform; he is looking downward and to the left of the camera
SGT Jenkins in September 2004
Born(1940-02-18)18 February 1940
Died11 Dec. 2017 (2017-12-12) (aged 77)
Other names"Super"
Citizenship
Occupations
  • Soldier
  • merchant
Criminal charges
Criminal penalty25 days imprisonment
Spouse
Hitomi Soga
(m. 1980)
ChildrenTwo daughters
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Branch
RankPrivate (from Sergeant)
Unit
Known forDesertion to North Korea

Charles Robert Jenkins ((1940-02-18)18 February 1940 – (2017-12-11)11 December 2017) was a United States Army deserter, North Korean prisoner, and voice for Japanese abductees in North Korea.

It was a fear of combat and possible service in the Vietnam War that led then-Sergeant Jenkins to abandon his patrol and walk across the Korean Demilitarized Zone in January 1965. Instead of being sent to the Soviet Union and then traded back to the US, Jenkins was held captive in North Korea for over 39 years. While held prisoner, Jenkins was tortured, forced to wed a captured Japanese national, and performed in North Korean propaganda videos.

With improved Japanese–North Korean relations, Jenkins was allowed to travel to Japan and flee the communist Korean state in 2004. After reporting to Camp Zama that September, Jenkins was court-martialed and served 25 days in the brig at United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka. Until his death in 2017, Jenkins lived in his wife's childhood Sado home with her and their two daughters, wrote a book about his experiences in North Korea, worked in a local museum, and was treated like a celebrity by the Japanese.

Personal life

On (1940-02-18)18 February 1940, Charles Robert Jenkins was born in Rich Square, North Carolina.[1] Jenkins dropped out of the seventh grade soon after the death of his father in the mid-1950s.[2] In 2004, Jenkins' younger sister (Pat Harrell)[3] and his mother (Pattie Casper; born in 1912 or 1913) still lived in the state.[4] Casper died in Rich Square at age 94, and was buried by Jenkins.[5]

In 1978, Hitomi Soga was a Japanese student nurse in Sado, Niigata when she and her mother were kidnapped by North Korean agents and taken to their country to train more agents there.[6] At the direction of the North Korean government, the 21-year-old Soga was assigned to Jenkins in 1980, and they were married weeks later[4] on 8 August.[7] They had two daughters: Mika (born in 1983) and Brinda (born in 1985). An interviewer of Jenkins would later tell The Japan Times that Jenkins' relationship with Soga was remarkable: Jenkins said "several times that she was the best thing that had ever happened to him […] 'She saved my life,' he told me. I suspect he was right."[6] After their release from North Korea in the early 2000s, Jenkins offered to dissolve their marriage, as it had been imposed upon them; Soga declined.[4]

US Army

A portrait photo of a white man in a Cold-War US military uniform; he is facing the camera, looking into the lens
Jenkins in a 1950s US Army photo

Lacking a high school diploma,[8] Jenkins enlisted in the Army National Guard from 1955 through April 1958. After his honorable discharge from the Guard,[2] he enlisted in the active-duty United States Army that same year[9][10] as a light weapons infantryman. First stationed at Fort Hood, Jenkins next volunteered to deploy with the 7th Infantry Division to South Korea[11] from August 1960 – September 1961; while there, he was promoted to sergeant.[2] After briefly returning to the US, Jenkins was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in West Germany until 1964.[11] That year, he volunteered for a second deployment to the Korean Demilitarized Zone.[4]

Desertion

On 5 January 1965, 24-year-old Sergeant Jenkins was stationed in South Korea with the Army's 8th Cavalry Regiment[7] when he decided to desert the United States Armed Forces; he was being ordered to lead "more aggressive, provocative patrols", and there were rumors that his unit would be sent to Vietnam.[4] After drinking ten beers to build his courage,[5] Jenkins went on patrol with his squad. At 2:30am, after telling the other three men that "he heard a noise", Jenkins disappeared into the night approximately ten kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Panmunjom.[7] To show his peaceful intentions, he removed the rounds from[10] his M14 rifle, and tied a white t-shirt to the muzzle before walking for several cold hours towards North Korea.[12] He had planned to claim asylum with the Soviet Union and then return to the US for discharge and punishment via a prisoner exchange.[13][14] He was instead held prisoner in North Korea for 39.51 years.[4]

The Army declared Jenkins a defector based on four letters that he left behind in his barracks; one, addressed to his mother, read: "Forgive me, for I know what I must do. Tell my family I love them. Love, Charles." Jenkins' family disputed this determination because he "always either signed letters 'Robert' or used his nickname 'Super'." In 1996, Jenkins was reclassified by the US military as a deserter.[7] Jenkins' nephew, James Hyman, was a decades-long strident defendant of the theory that his uncle had been kidnapped by North Koreans.[12]

Jenkins would later tell Professor Robert Boynton (of New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute) "that he had been a double-agent, sent to North Korea by the U.S. to spy on them". Boynton disbelieved Jenkins' claim, calling it "his attempt to maintain some dignity, and prove he wasn’t just a hapless sap who made a life-altering mistake."[6]

In North Korea

Jenkins was initially housed with fellow US deserters Larry Allen Abshier, James Joseph Dresnok, and Jerry Wayne Parrish.[4] The American men fought amongst themselves, with Jenkins later describing the 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m) Dresnok as a bully who informed on the others to their captors.[10] Three weeks after his desertion, North Korean radio announced that Jenkins had defected for a "better life" there.[7] In 1966, the four men attempted escape by seeking asylum at the Soviet embassy in Pyongyang, but were unsuccessful.[15]

During his imprisonment in North Korea, Jenkins was made to memorize Kim Il-sung's writings and work for the communist state as an English teacher and translator.[6] Jenkins' lessons in American English lasted until 1985 when it was decided that his pronounced Southern accent was more a hinderance than not.[10]

In 1972, the four US servicemen in North Korea were given their own homes and declared citizens, though their "constant surveillance, beatings and torture" continued.[14] During the North Korean famine that killed millions of North Koreans, as an asset for propaganda, Jenkins and his family still received rations of clothing, insect-infested rice, and soap.[10] In their 2004 testimony, Jenkins and Soga told the US Army about their living accommodations in North Korea—or lack thereof. While heat, warm water, and food were scarce, the omnipresent state surrounded them and their home with barbed wire, hidden microphones, and "political supervisors".[3] By the time he left, Jenkins was receiving from the North Korean government a monthly income of US$120 (equivalent to $193.57 in 2023), and his daughters were enrolled at the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies,[12] possibly for training to infiltrate South Korea.[12][11]

Acting

In 1978, production began on the 20-film series Unsung Heroes which tells the North Korean version of the Korean War and its antecedents. Jenkins was made to play Dr. Kelton, a capitalist warmonger who endeavored to extend the war to benefit the US arms industry. These films made Jenkins a celebrity; he was recognized on the street as "Dr. Kelton!" (Korean: « 켈튼 박사! », romanized"Kelton Bac-Sa!") and made to sign autographs.[8] One of these films was delivered to Jenkins' family in 1997—their first sight of Jenkins since his desertion.[4]

1988's Ten Zan: The Ultimate Mission was shot in North Korea, and Jenkins was cast in the villainous role of Professor Larson; co-star Romano Kristoff later recalled the American was "a very good actor and a very humble human being."[16] Jenkins' last North Korean film was in 2000, about the communists' capture of USS Pueblo (AGER-2),[8] portraying a US aircraft carrier captain.[9] His celebrity status as an alleged-defector-turned-movie-star also afforded him greater social cachet as a state prize, allowing him to see Soviet dignitaries and diplomats who piteously slipped him materials and information from outside the Korean state.[17]

Expatriation

Due to the 2002 Japan–North Korea Pyongyang Declaration, Soga was allowed to leave for Japan on 15 October[7] for ten days; she did not return to North Korea.[14] The government of Japan even petitioned the US to pardon Jenkins, hoping Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi could bring back the American and his daughters after a May diplomatic trip.[18] Ultimately, they refused to leave; because of the U.S.–Japan Status of Forces Agreement, he still faced court-martial if he traveled to Japan—because the statute of limitations for desertion was 40 years (5 January 2005)—and possible capital punishment.[7]

Instead, Pyongyang eventually permitted Jenkins to fly to Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Indonesia where they reunited with Soga[14] and the Japanese government promised residency for the whole family.[6] After his release from North Korea, Jenkins was 1.65 metres (5 ft 5 in) tall,[2] and only weighed 100 pounds (45 kg),[5] having lost his appendix, one testicle, and part of a US Army tattoo (cut off without anesthetic) to North Korea. Of the four 1960s deserters to North Korea, he was the only one to ever leave.[14] Upon arrival in Japan from Indonedia, Jenkins spent a month in the hospital at Tokyo Women's Medical University[2] to recover from prostate surgery complications (performed in North Korea before he left).[12]

Court-martial

United States v. Jenkins
USARJ shoulder insignia
CourtUnited States Army, Japan
Decided3 November 2004
Court membership
Judge sittingColonel Denise Vowell

On 11 September 2004, he presented himself to Lieutenant Colonel Paul Nigara at Camp Zama, saying with a salute, "Sir, I'm Sergeant Jenkins and I'm reporting".[14] Jenkins' court-martial began and ended on 3 November 2004.[3] He was the longest-missing deserter to return to the US military.[9][10]

Represented by Captain James D. Culp,[2] Jenkins' single-day court-martial (United States v. Jenkins) was convened by United States Army, Japan on 3 November 2004. Colonel Denise Vowell was judge for the bench trial. In accordance with his pre-trial agreement,[11] Jenkins pled guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy (the latter for teaching English in North Korea).[14] Vowell sentenced him to "six months' confinement, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances, reduction to the lowest enlisted grade, and a dishonorable discharge." Major General Elbert N. Perkins, the general court-martial convening authority, changed the confinement to 30 days, and approved the remainder of the sentence,[11] to be in the brig at United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka (where, Captain King H. Dietriech assured reporters, "there will be no special treatment for Private Jenkins.")[3]

Jenkins spent only 25 days in the brig; he was released early for good conduct[14] on 27 November 2004. Having waived "his post-trial and appellate rights," Jenkins' demotion and dishonorable discharge were executed on 18 July 2005.[11]

SGT Jenkins at court-martial

BBC News reported that Jenkins may have received only the 30-day sentence because of the intelligence he provided the US.[14] In 2009, Jenkins told Vice that in addition to receiving a sergeant's salary while in prison[17]—a monthly rate of $2,367.90 (equivalent to $3,820 in 2023)[19]—he spent his time working with military intelligence. According to Jenkins, the sentence was "all a big set-up for the outside world so it looked like justice was done. After all, I betrayed my country and people wanted to see me get punished for that – but I was just helping the government with what I knew. They just gave me the shortest sentence possible with a week off for good behaviour so it didn’t seem like I was let off the hook."[17]

Civilian life

After his release from prison, Jenkins lived with his family in Soga's Sado childhood home. In Sado, free from North Korea, that nation was still a part of Jenkins' every day. He continued to fear that agents of Kim Jong-il would retaliate against him in Japan, he couldn't eat sashimi out of fear it would make him sick from the memories, and he was more fluent in Korean than English. To record what he remembered and experienced, Jenkins published a memoir in 2008: The Reluctant Communist (ISBN 978-0-520-25333-9).[5] In Japan, Jenkins fostered an interest in motorcycling; he was featured on the cover of Mr. Bike, a Japanese motorcycle-enthusiast magazine.[17]

The Japanese Ministry of Justice expedited Jenkins' application for permanent residency (in 112 the time), and awarded it to him on 15 July 2008.[20][21] He worked in Sado selling senbei at a local museum;[6] treated like a celebrity, Jenkins frequently posed for photographs with Japanese patrons, at times up to 300 per hour.[5] In Japan, he was credited with helping bring global attention to the North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens.[6]

On 11 December 2017, Jenkins collapsed outside his Sado home, and later died of cardiovascular disease.[13]

See also

  • Roy Chung – American defector to North Korea (c. 1957 – c. 2004)
  • Joseph T. White – American defector to North Korea (1961–1985)

References

  1. ^ Ramzy, Austin (12 December 2017). "Charles Jenkins, 77, U.S. Soldier Who Regretted Fleeing to North Korea, Dies". The New York Times. p. 12. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 12 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kirk, Jeremy (1 September 2004). "Four Decades in North Korea". Far Eastern Economic Review. Tokyo. ISSN 0014-7591. Archived from the original on 2 September 2004. Retrieved 27 August 2022. One cold night in 1965, Sgt. Charles Robert Jenkins disappeared from a patrol in South Korea. Forty years later he has resurfaced. In his first interview since leaving North Korea, he tells the Review his story
  3. ^ a b c d Brooke, James (4 November 2004). "G.I. Deserter Tells of Cold, Hungry Times in North Korea". The New York Times. Camp Zama. p. A3. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Schorn, Daniel; Pelley, Scott (23 October 2005). "Deserter Recalls N. Korean Hell". 60 Minutes. CBS News. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022. Charles Jenkins Shares His Story Of A Hard Life Under Abusive Regime
  5. ^ a b c d e Glionna, John M. (16 July 2009). "Second life of GI who deserted to North Korea". Los Angeles Times. Sado, Niigata. ISSN 2165-1736. OCLC 3638237. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Johnston, Eric (12 December 2017). "Charles Jenkins, U.S. defector to North Korea and husband of former Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga, dies at 77". The Japan Times. Osaka. ISSN 0447-5763. OCLC 21225620. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Curtin, J Sean (5 June 2004). "The strange saga of Charles Robert Jenkins". Asia Times. Japan. Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Fowler, Simon (November 2015). "The US defectors who became film stars in North Korea". BBC. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022. In 1965, US soldier Charles Robert Jenkins left South Korea for the North – and he went on to become a star in the Hermit Kingdom. Simon Fowler recounts his strange tale.
  9. ^ a b c Schoenfeld, Gabriel (13 March 2008). "To Hell and Back". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 1042-9840. OCLC 781541372. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Lusher, Adam (12 December 2017). "Torture, brainwashing and movie stardom: The extraordinary life of Charles Jenkins, the US soldier who defected to North Korea". The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. OCLC 185201487. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2022. Charles Robert Jenkins endured beatings, hunger, the forced removal of a testicle, and became a North Korean film star by playing a Capitalist baddie in a propaganda film
  11. ^ a b c d e f Borch III, Fred L. (2021). "Stranger than Fiction: The GI Who Fled to North Korea for Forty Years". The Army Lawyer (1). Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e Frederick, Jim (13 December 2004). "The Long Mistake". Time. Camp Zama. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479. In a TIME exclusive, American defector Charles Jenkins talks about his life inside North Korea
  13. ^ a b "Charles Jenkins: US soldier who defected to North Korea dies". BBC News. 12 December 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022. A former US sergeant who defected to North Korea and became Pyongyang's prisoner for nearly 40 years has died.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i Seales, Rebecca (14 December 2017). "How forced marriage saved a US defector in North Korea". BBC News. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022. Every night before going to bed, US defector Charles Jenkins turned to Hitomi Soga, the woman North Korea had forced him to marry, and kissed her three times.
  15. ^ Report of the detailed findings of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 7 February 2014, archived from the original on 22 June 2019, retrieved 19 March 2022
  16. ^ Kristoff, Romano (June 2020). "Entretien avec Romano Kristoff". Nanarland (Interview). Interviewed by Nada, John. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  17. ^ a b c d Hoban, Alex (22 September 2009). "All Slammer, No Glamour: The Reluctant North Korean Film Star". Vice. ISSN 1077-6788. OCLC 30856250. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2022. As far as strange and unusual punishment goes, being forced to be a film star rates highly.
  18. ^ "Japan asks U.S. to pardon abductee's American husband". The Japan Times. 16 May 2004. ISSN 0447-5763. OCLC 21225620. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  19. ^ "BASIC PAY—EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2004" (PDF). Defense Finance and Accounting Service. 1 January 2004. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  20. ^ ジェンキンスさんに永住許可「死ぬまでここにいたい」 [Permission for permanent residence to Mr. Jenkins: 'I want to stay here until I die.']. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 15 July 2008. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Jenkins gets permanent residency". The Japan Times. Niigata. Kyodo News. 6 July 2008. ISSN 0447-5763. OCLC 21225620. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2022.

Further reading