U.S. Soldier Who Defected To North Korea Died 

(Sado Island)  —  A former U.S. Army soldier from North Carolina who defected to North Korea in the 1960s is dead.

Charles Jenkins collapsed outside his home in Japan where he’s lived since 2004.  His death was confirmed on Monday. The 77-year-old was released that year by North Korea after years inside the isolated country.

He was married to a Japanese woman who had been kidnapped by the North and starred as the villain in several North Korean films.