Joseph T. White

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Joseph T. White (born November 5, 1961 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a private in the United States Army who defected to North Korea on August 28, 1982.[1] A member of of 1/31st Infantry, he locked of one of the gates leading into the Korean Demilitarized Zone and was witnessed by fellow US soldiers as surrendering to North Korean troops.

North Korean authorities refused a request by UNC representatives to meet White and ask him about the reasons of his defections. DPRK authorities released a video in which White, looking uncomfortable, denounced the United States' "corruptness, criminality, immorality, weakness, and hedonism", claiming he had defected to demonstrate how "unjustifiable [it was] for the US to send troops to South Korea". As White's speech was written in stilted, unnatural-sounding English, it is widely considered that it was written by North Koreans and not by himself.

In February 1983, White's parents received a letter from their son, stating that he was happy in North Korea and working as an English teacher. Then, on November 5, 1985, the day of White's 24th birthday, his parents received another letter from North Korea, stating that their son had died by drowning in Ch'ongch'on River. Despite the family's requests, White's body was never returned.

Prior to White's defection, Charles Jenkins was the last US soldier to cross the demilitarized zone into North Korea. He wrote in his memoirs that he never met White, but once saw him on state television at a hastily prepared press conference soon after the defection. He also wrote that plans were in the works for White to share housing with one of the other American defectors, but it eventually fell through. According to Jenkins' government minders, White suffered an epileptic seizure of some form and was left paralyzed. Following that, Jenkins never heard another thing about him.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ Asia Times Online :: Korea News - Joseph White's walk in the dark