 A former USFK soldier who deserted to North Korea in 1965 and is now settled in Japan with his wife and family has said he lived "like a dog" during his first 15 years in the North. Charles Robert Jenkins, 65, was giving his first press conference in his wife's hometown of Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture. He said his life changed greatly after he met his wife, Soga Hitomi, now 46, in August 1980. In interviews with some Western media outlets since last year, Jenkins has said that after defecting to North Korea he was confined along with other U.S. deserters to a room without beds or running water and beaten whenever he protested. "We never dreamed that [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-il would let us go," he added. Asked about the North Korean strongman on Tuesday, Jenkins said, "I've never met Kim Jong-il, but he is an evil man." About the North Korean system, he said, "It's a socialist country's system of exploiting and oppressing the people." Jenkins said he taught English conversation and comprehension to soldiers at the North Korean military academy. He said he longed to see his elderly mother in the United States. "She's 91 years old... I hope I can see her sooner (rather) than later." He told his mother and the rest of his family that he loved them.
| Maybe they can come see you in Japan. We don't want you here. |
Jenkins lived in the North with his wife, a Japanese abductee, and their two children until last year. Soga returned to Japan first, and last December Jenkins was re-united with her after a separation of two years and two months. |