Biography
James Joseph Dresnok was a U.S. Army private first class stationed on the Korean demilitarized zone. Facing military discipline for forging a pass and going absent without leave, he crossed a minefield into North Korea on August 15, 1962. He later described the act as an escape from his collapsed marriage and military life rather than an ideological decision. North Korea used Dresnok in propaganda, English instruction and films. In 1966 he and the three other American deserters tried to seek asylum at the Soviet embassy, which returned them to North Korean authorities. Dresnok remained in Pyongyang until his death from a stroke in November 2016.
