Dresnok was among a handful of American servicemen to desert after the Korean war and was loyal to Kim Jong-un

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The only US soldier known to still be living in North Korea after defecting more than five decades ago died last year, pledging his loyalty to the “great leader Kim Jong-un”, his sons have said.



James Joseph Dresnok was among a handful of American servicemen to desert following the Korean war, crossing the heavily fortified demilitarised zone in 1962.

He went on to appear in North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last US defector in the country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave.

North Korea's bold wave of propaganda art - in pictures Read more

In a video interview posted on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, Ted and James Dresnok, his two sons, confirmed their father had a fatal stroke in November last year.

“Our father was in the arms of the republic and received only the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74,” said Ted Dresnok, the elder of the two.

In the video, Dresnok and his brother wore a Korean People’s army uniform, adorned with a badge depicting the North’s founder Kim Il-sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-il.

Both men were born in North Korea and spoke Korean with a heavy northern accent.

“Our father asked us to render devoted service to our great leader Kim Jong-un,” said Ted Dresnok, who also goes by the Korean name Hong Soon-chol.

Their comments were similar to those of North Koreans, who normally only express officially approved sentiments when speaking for a foreign audience.

It was the brothers’ second appearance on the programme, after they praised the country in an interview in May 2016.

Play Video 1:01 Sons of US defector to North Korea James Dresnok speak out after father's death – video

Addressing the recent tensions between Pyongyang and Washington, Ted Dresnok warned that the “US imperialists” were raising “war hysteria madness” with little knowledge about the North’s military and its people.

If war breaks out, he said, “we will not miss the opportunity and wipe the land of the US from the earth for ever”.

Tensions have been mounting in the region since Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) last month that appeared to bring much of the US within range.

That sparked a volley of threats between Pyongyang and Washington, with the US president, Donald Trump, warning of bringing “fire and fury” on the North while Pyongyang threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam.

“We have our dear supreme commander Kim Jong-un. If he is by our side, our victory is certain,” said James Dresnok, who also goes by his Korean name Hong Chol, in the video posted on Friday.

The late James Dresnok, known as Joe, crossed a minefield at 21 to reach North Korea, after his wife divorced him and he was reportedly about to be court martialled.

He was the subject of a British documentary, Crossing the Line, in 2006 and expressed satisfaction with his life in Pyongyang, whose citizens enjoy better standards of living than those elsewhere in the isolated country.

He also told CBS that he would not leave even if “you put a billion damn dollars of gold on the table”.</s>The only US soldier known still to be living in North Korea after defecting more than five decades ago died last year pledging loyalty to the “great leader Kim Jong-Un”, his sons said.

James Joseph Dresnok was among just a handful of American servicemen to desert following the 1950-53 Korean War, crossing the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone in 1962.

He went on to appear in North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last US military defector in the country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave.

In a video interview posted on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, Ted and James Dresnok, his two adult sons, confirmed that their father suffered a fatal stroke in November last year.

“Our father was in the arms of the republic and received only the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74,” said Ted Dresnok, the elder of the two.

Brown-haired and hazel-eyed, he wore a Korean People’s Army uniform in the video like his brother, adorned with a badge depicting the North’s founder Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il.

Both men were born in North Korea and spoke Korean with a thick Northern accent.

“Our father asked us to render devoted service to our great leader Kim Jong-Un,” said Ted Dresnok, who also goes by the Korean name Hong Soon-Chol.

Their comments were similar to those of ordinary North Koreans, who normally only ever express officially approved sentiments when speaking for a foreign audience.

It was the brothers’ second appearance on the programme, after they praised the country in a May 2016 interview.

Their mother is said to have been Doina Bumbea, a Romanian whose family say she was kidnapped by Pyongyang.

Reports of Dresnok’s death emerged earlier this year but the brothers’ video is the first official confirmation.

The late James Dresnok, known as Joe, was 21, newly divorced and reportedly facing a court-martial when he made his way through the minefields that litter the DMZ to reach North Korea. He was the subject of a 2006 British documentary, “Crossing the Line”, which was nominated for a Grand Jury prize at the Sundance film festival.

In it he expressed satisfaction with his life in Pyongyang, where citizens enjoy better standards of living than people elsewhere in the isolated country. Co-director Nick Bonner told AFP: “Joe seemed to have accepted he was going to remain in the north due to politics and ill health.

“Also his memory of life in the US was not so rosy, having grown up in an orphanage and not established himself.”

Dresnok once told a CBS interview he would not leave the North even if “you put a billion damn dollars of gold on the table”.</s>The only US soldier known to still be living in North Korea after defecting more than five decades ago died last year pledging his loyalty to the "great leader Kim Jong-Un", his sons said.

James Joseph Dresnok was among just a handful of American servicemen to desert following the Korean War, crossing the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone in 1962.

He went on to appear in North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last US defector in the country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave.

In a video interview posted on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, Ted and James Dresnok, his two adult sons, confirmed that their father suffered a fatal stroke in November last year.

"Our father was in the arms of the republic and received only the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74," said Ted Dresnok, the elder of the two.</s>James Joseph Dresnok, the only known U.S. soldier to be still living in North Korea after he defected more than five decades ago, died last year, his two sons confirmed.

Dresnok pledged his loyalty to the “great leader Kim Jong-un,” his sons Ted and James Dresnok said in a video interview posted on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website. They confirmed their father had a stroke last November.

“Our father was in the arms of the republic and received only the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74,” said Ted Dresnok, the elder of the two. Both sons wore a Korean People’s Army uniform, complete with a badge depicting the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-il.

Both men were born in North Korea and spoke Korean with a heavy northern accent. Their father was among a handful of American servicemen to desert following the Korean war, crossing the demilitarized zone in 1962. Known as Joe, he crossed a minefield at age 21 to reach North Korea after his wife divorced him, and he was reportedly about to be court martialed.

He appeared in North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last U.S. defector in the secluded country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave, according to The Guardian.

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“Our father asked us to render devoted service to our great leader Kim-Jong-un,” said Ted Dresnok, whose Korean name is Hong Soon-chol.

The brothers not only confirmed their father’s death and praised the North Korean leader, but they also commented on the current tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

Ted Dresnok cautioned that the “U.S. imperialists” were raising “war hysteria madness,” claiming that Americans are knowledgeable about neither North Korea’s military nor its people. If war breaks out, he said, “we [North Korea] will not miss the opportunity and wipe the land of the U.S. from the Earth forever.”

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Tensions have escalated between the two countries since the North Koreans tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles last month that could potentially reach the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up the rhetoric by saying the U.S. would bring “fire and fury” upon North Korea if it didn’t stand down.

“We have our dear supreme commander Kim Jong-un. If he is by our side, our victory is certain,” said James Dresnok, Korean name Hong Chol, in the video posted on Friday.</s>The only US soldier known still to be living in North Korea after defecting more than five decades ago died last year pledging loyalty to the 'great leader Kim Jong-un', his sons said.

James Joseph Dresnok was among just a handful of American servicemen to desert following the 1950-53 Korean War, crossing the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone in 1962.

He went on to appear in North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last US military defector in the country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave.

In a video interview posted on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, Ted and James Dresnok, his two adult sons, confirmed that their father suffered a fatal stroke in November last year.

'Our father was in the arms of the republic and received only the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74,' said Ted Dresnok, the elder of the two.

Brown-haired and hazel-eyed, he wore a Korean People's Army uniform in the video like his brother, adorned with a badge depicting the North's founder Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il.

Both men were born in North Korea and spoke Korean with a thick Northern accent.

'Our father asked us to render devoted service to our great leader Kim Jong-Un,' said Ted Dresnok, who also goes by the Korean name Hong Soon-Chol.

Their comments were similar to those of ordinary North Koreans, who normally only ever express officially approved sentiments when speaking for a foreign audience.

It was the brothers' second appearance on the programme, after they praised the country in a May 2016 interview.

Their mother is said to have been Doina Bumbea, a Romanian whose family say she was kidnapped by Pyongyang.

In a searing 2014 report on human rights in North Korea, a UN commission of inquiry said: 'Women abducted from Europe, the Middle East and Asia were subjected to forced marriages with men from other countries to prevent liaisons on their part with ethnic Korean women that could result in interracial children.'

Another American soldier defector, Charles Jenkins, married Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga within weeks of meeting her in the North.

Soga was allowed to leave in 2002, and Jenkins and their two daughters followed suit two years later. He was court-martialled for desertion and given a 30-day custodial sentence. They now live on a small Japanese island where he makes a living selling rice crackers.

Four other post-1953 US army deserters are all believed to have died in the North.

Reports of Dresnok's death emerged earlier this year but the brothers' video is the first official confirmation.

Tensions have been mounting in the region since Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles last month that appeared to bring much of the US within range.

That sparked a volley of threats between Pyongyang and Washington, with President Donald Trump warning the North of 'fire and fury' while Pyongyang threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam.

Ted Dresnok said the 'US imperialists' were raising 'war hysteria madness' while knowing little about the North's military and its people.

If war breaks out, he said, 'We will not miss the opportunity and wipe the land of the US from the earth forever.'

In the video, posted Friday, his brother James, whose Korean name is Hong Chol, added: 'We have our dear supreme commander Kim Jong-Un. If he is by our side, our victory is certain.'

The late James Dresnok, known as Joe, was 21, newly divorced and reportedly facing a court-martial when he made his way through the minefields that litter the DMZ to reach North Korea.

He was the subject of a 2006 British documentary, 'Crossing the Line', which was nominated for a Grand Jury prize at the Sundance film festival.

In it he expressed satisfaction with his life in Pyongyang, where citizens enjoy better standards of living than people elsewhere in the isolated country.

Co-director Nick Bonner told AFP: 'Joe seemed to have accepted he was going to remain in the north due to politics and ill health.

'Also his memory of life in the US was not so rosy, having grown up in an orphanage and not established himself.'

Dresnok once told a CBS interview he would not leave the North even if 'you put a billion damn dollars of gold on the table'.</s>(CNN) James Joseph Dresnok, believed to be the last remaining US soldier in North Korea, died last year, two of his sons said in video posted on a North Korean state-run news site.

He died of a stroke after receiving medical attention for an undisclosed condition, his sons said. He was 74.

Dresnok defected to North Korea in 1962 in a daring dash across the heavily fortified demilitarized zone that divides the totalitarian country from South Korea.

Once in North Korea Dresnok was often used for propaganda purposes. He even appeared as American bad guys in the country's movies.

"My father lived in the arms of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) until the time of his death," Ted Dresnok said in the video, which was posted on North Korea's state-run Uriminzokkiri website.

"I have no other regrets except him (not) living longer to receive love and care from the party. My father had a truly happy life in the arms of the nation," said Dresnok's other son, James. Both men spoke in fluent Korean, which CNN has translated.

It was unclear when the video was made, or whether the two men appeared under duress.

He told British filmmakers Daniel Gordon and Nick Bonner that when he defected, he was divorced and serving on DMZ stakeout posts. He also was about to be court-martialed for forging his sergeant's signature to go see a woman.

"I was fed up with my childhood, my marriage, my military life, everything," he said. "There's only one place to go."

He said he hit the road at broad daylight, eventually crossing into North Korea.

Dresnok was among a handful of US soldiers who defected to North Korea. By the time the documentary was released, he was the only American defector left in the country, according to the film.

North Korea was notorious for kidnapping foreigners, especially South Koreans and Japanese citizens, for domestic purposes in the 1970s and 80s.

Though some kidnappees were used for propaganda purposes, others were used for other domestic reasons.

The cases of the Japanese nationals kidnapped has remained a sticking point in negotiations to normalize relations between the two countries.

Though the younger Dresnok brothers don't look North Korean, they certainly sound it.

A language expert told CNN last year that the two spoke Korean fluently with distinct North Korean accents. What they say -- assailing the United States for threatening North Korea and praising the Kim family for its leadership -- is similar in tone to the propaganda put out by North Korean state media.

"From the time we were born we live under the care and love of the leader. We're given everything including our clothes, school uniform, pencils and notes as gifts," the younger James Dresnok said in the latest video.

Ted Dresnok also commented about the recent United Nations sanctions levied against North Korea and the increasingly heated rhetoric between his country and the US.

"The US imperialists, without understanding our people and country, are raising the tensions of war. However, through the history of confrontations between North Korea and the US, we have enjoyed only victories while the US experienced defeats," he said.

"Our country, despite all sanctions, has everything we need and we have accomplished all we need. We're certain of our victory. If the enemy provokes us, we will not miss this chance but demolish the land called the US from the surface of the Earth."

North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun published a similar warning Monday, saying "It is the truth and law of history that no one can conquer the army and people of the DPRK who turned out in the battle to defend their country under the guidance of the great leader with belief in the justice of their cause and their strength ... Definite is the US defeat."</s>James Joseph Dresnok, believed to be the last remaining US soldier in North Korea, died last year, two of his sons said in video posted on a North Korean state-run news site.

He died of a stroke after receiving medical attention for an undisclosed condition, his sons said. He was 74.

Dresnok defected to North Korea in 1962 in a daring dash across the heavily fortified demilitarized zone that divides the totalitarian country from South Korea.

Once in North Korea Dresnok was often used for propaganda purposes. He even appeared as American bad guys in the country’s movies.

“My father lived in the arms of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) until the time of his death,” Ted Dresnok said in the video, which was posted on North Korea’s state-run Uriminzokkiri website.

“I have no other regrets except him (not) living longer to receive love and care from the party. My father had a truly happy life in the arms of the nation,” said Dresnok’s other son, James. Both men spoke in fluent Korean, which CNN has translated.

It was unclear when the video was made, or whether the two men appeared under duress.

The Dresnok sons, believed to be in their 30s, appeared in another video last year, blaming “American imperialism” for tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Dresnok explained his decision to defect in a 2006 documentary, “Crossing the Line.”

He told British filmmakers Daniel Gordon and Nick Bonner that when he defected, he was divorced and serving on DMZ stakeout posts. He also was about to be court-martialed for forging his sergeant’s signature to go see a woman.

“I was fed up with my childhood, my marriage, my military life, everything,” he said. “There’s only one place to go.”

He said he hit the road at broad daylight, eventually crossing into North Korea.

Dresnok was among a handful of US soldiers who defected to North Korea. By the time the documentary was released, he was the only American defector left in the country, according to the film.

According to fellow defector Robert Jenkins, Dresnok eventually married a woman from Romania who said she was tricked into traveling to Pyongyang and was not allowed to leave.

North Korea was notorious for kidnapping foreigners, especially South Koreans and Japanese citizens, for domestic purposes in the 1970s and 80s.

Former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was said to have organized the abduction of South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee and her husband Shin Sang-ok, a film director. Kim, a noted film aficionado who was running the country’s movie studio at the time, hoped to use the pair to revamp North Korean cinema.

Though some kidnappees were used for propaganda purposes, others were used for other domestic reasons.

In 2002, North Korea admitted for the first time to kidnapping at least 17 Japanese citizens and allowed five abduction victims to return home. Information on the remaining victims was sketchy at best, and it’s possible that dozens more were kidnapped. Some were married off to other foreigners — like Jenkins’ wife — while others taught Japanese for covert and military purposes.

The cases of the Japanese nationals kidnapped has remained a sticking point in negotiations to normalize relations between the two countries.

Though the younger Dresnok brothers don’t look North Korean, they certainly sound it.

A language expert told CNN last year that the two spoke Korean fluently with distinct North Korean accents. What they say — assailing the United States for threatening North Korea and praising the Kim family for its leadership — is similar in tone to the propaganda put out by North Korean state media.

“From the time we were born we live under the care and love of the leader. We’re given everything including our clothes, school uniform, pencils and notes as gifts,” the younger James Dresnok said in the latest video.

Ted Dresnok also commented about the recent United Nations sanctions levied against North Korea and the increasingly heated rhetoric between his country and the US.

“The US imperialists, without understanding our people and country, are raising the tensions of war. However, through the history of confrontations between North Korea and the US, we have enjoyed only victories while the US experienced defeats,” he said.

“Our country, despite all sanctions, has everything we need and we have accomplished all we need. We’re certain of our victory. If the enemy provokes us, we will not miss this chance but demolish the land called the US from the surface of the Earth.”

North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun published a similar warning Monday, saying “It is the truth and law of history that no one can conquer the army and people of the DPRK who turned out in the battle to defend their country under the guidance of the great leader with belief in the justice of their cause and their strength … Definite is the US defeat.”</s>SEOUL
• The only US soldier known still to be living in North Korea after defecting more than five decades ago died last year pledging loyalty to the "great leader Kim Jong Un", his sons said.

Mr James Joseph Dresnok was among just a handful of American servicemen to desert the army following the 1950-1953 Korean War, crossing the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone in 1962. He went on to appear in North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last US military defector in the country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave.

In a video interview posted on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, his two adult sons Ted and James Dresnok confirmed that their father suffered a fatal stroke in November last year.

"Our father was in the arms of the republic and received the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74," said Mr Ted Dresnok, the older of the two.

Brown-haired and hazel-eyed, he wore a Korean People's Army uniform in the video, like his brother, adorned with a badge depicting the North's founder Kim Il Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong Il.

The brothers were born in North Korea and spoke Korean with a thick Northern accent. "Our father asked us to render devoted service to our great leader Kim Jong Un," said Mr Ted Dresnok, who also goes by the Korean name Hong Soon Chol.

Their comments were similar to those of ordinary North Koreans, who normally express only officially approved sentiments when speaking for a foreign audience.

The late James Dresnok, known as Joe, was 21, newly divorced and reportedly facing a court martial when he made his way through the minefields that litter the DMZ to reach North Korea.

He was the subject of a 2006 British documentary, Crossing The Line, which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

In it, he expressed satisfaction with his life in Pyongyang, where citizens enjoy better standards of living than people elsewhere in the isolated country.</s>(The Washington Post) - Five decades after a 21-year-old soldier from Richmond, Virginia named James Joseph Dresnok sprinted through the demilitarized zone and began his new life as a propaganda tool for North Korea, his Pyongyang-born sons have announced his death.

Dresnok’s health had been failing for years, and his sons said he died of a stroke in November. He was 74 and had spent two-thirds of his life espousing the virtues of the country he ran to on that summer day in 1962. The death of the man thought to have outlived or outlasted the other U.S. defectors to North Korea had been rumored, but his sons recently confirmed it on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, according to the Guardian.

“I have never regretted coming to the People’s Republic of North Korea,” Dresnok said in a 2006 BBC documentary. “I feel at home. I really feel at home. I was just a regular soldier. And when I gave it up and came over, I wouldn’t trade it for nothing.”

But like most things the man known as “Comrade Joe” said publicly after defecting, it was impossible to suss out which statements were genuine and which were parroted propaganda.

As his health failed, Dresnok’s Korean-speaking sons spoke on their father’s behalf. But their words, too, were heavily scripted and overwhelmingly supportive of North Korea and its policies.

“I want to advise the U.S. to drop its hostile policy against North Korea. They’ve done enough wrong, and now it’s time for them to wake up from their delusions,” Ted Dresnok, the oldest son, said in a video published online in 2006 by the pro-Pyongyang news service Minjok Tongshin.

Those words were spoken amid escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea that have worsened under President Donald Trump, who has promised that the isolationist country would be “met with fire and fury” if it doesn’t stop threatening the United States.

Dresnok and other Army defectors – including Pvt. Larry Abshier, Sgt. Robert Jenkins and Spec. Jerry Parrish – were seen as propaganda victories for North Korea.

“Comrade Joe” even played an evil American in North Korean propaganda films. And his disembodied voice was broadcast across the demilitarized zone to entice U.S. troops with promises of better food rations.

It was a world away from what Dresnok described as a humble and tumultuous childhood in Virginia’s capital. His parents were in constant conflict and, later, estranged. They died when he was a child. He was briefly raised by relatives and spent time in foster care.

He joined the Army the day after his 17th birthday, according to the Guardian, but Army life – and regular life – quickly soured.

Soon, he found himself facing a court-martial.

“I was fed up with my childhood, my marriage, my military life, everything. I was finished,” he told the documentary makers. “There’s only one place to go. On August 15th, at noon in broad daylight, when everybody was eating lunch, I hit the road. Yes, I was afraid. Am I gonna live or die? And when I stepped into the minefield and I seen it with my own eyes, I started sweating. I crossed over, looking for my new life.”

He was interrogated in the North Korean capital but was ultimately embraced, along with other defectors.

It was not an easy fit at first. Four years after defecting, he and other former U.S. soldiers went to the Soviet Embassy, trying to find a way back to the United States, the Guardian reported. The Soviets handed them back to the North Koreans.

That’s when Dresnok said he vowed to try to fit in.

Resigned to his new life in North Korea, he learned to speak Korean and taught English, according to The Washington Post’s Anna Fifield. He married a Romanian woman, Doina Bumbea, who reportedly had been abducted by North Korea and died of cancer in 1997. They had two children, Ted and James. Ted goes by the Korean name Hong Sun Chol. His younger brother goes by the name Hong Chol.

“Comrade Joe” lived a simple life in North Korea, drinking, fishing and smoking three packs of cigarettes a day. He’d gained some acclaim from the films. People on the street stopped and stared at the large white man from the documentaries.

His adopted country provided him with a monthly stipend and a small apartment. But in the capital, blackouts were frequent, as were moments when there was no running water. Every home was equipped with a built-in radio that played propaganda and could not be turned off.

In 2008, in an interview with the Guardian, he discussed how he viewed his decision to turn his back on the United States.

“I don’t consider myself a traitor,” he said. “I love my country. I love my town.”

But he said he considered himself a citizen of Pyongyang.

“I call it my country because I have been here for 46 years. My life is here. Enough? The government will take care of me until my dying breath.”</s>James and Ted Dresnok say the former American soldier told them to remain loyal to Kim Jong-un and vow US would be wiped from the earth should war break out
• Sons confirm death of US soldier James Dresnok, who defected to North Korea
In a video interview posted on the state-run website Uriminzokkiri, the two sons of James Joseph Dresnok (the last remaining American defector to North Korea) have confirmed that their father has died of a stroke last November 2016.