A former U.S. Army soldier who defected to North Korea in 1965 is currently in the U.S. visiting his critically ill mother.
He left North Korea last month and turned himself in to U.S. authorities in Japan after his wife (a Japanese national kidnapped by North Korean agents decades ago) was freed and returned home to Japan.
He was subsequently court-martialed, found guilty and sentenced to twenty-five days in jail, plus a dishonorable discharge. He has since rejoined his family.
This man simply didn’t flee to Canada like others in his generation did. He defected to North Korea and cooperated with the North Koreans in their propaganda campaigns against the U.S. and South Korea. He claims that he didn’t want to fight in the Vietnam War, which was raging at the time, but instead of declaring himself a conscientious objector (CO), he ran to the enemy North Korean communists for help.
By declaring himself a CO in 1965, he would have spent some time in the stockade and then been dishonorably discharged (as he did and was last month). Instead he ran away and joined the enemy.
He also turned his back on his mom and his family for four decades.
This man is not just a deserter, but a traitor as well.
Those who wish to protest his presence in his home town of Rich Square, North Carolina, have every right to do so, but they probably shouldn’t. They should ignore him and then let him leave peacefully. What’s done is done. He is a traitor forever; nothing he says or does will change that; nor will the actions of some angry American citizens who want to vent their anger at him. It's likely he'll return with his wife and children to Japan.
Is he even an American citizen anymore?
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