Soldier Who Deserted to N. Korea Ends U.S. Visit

U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins left his boyhood home in Weldon to return to Japan, a day after apologizing for his decision more than 40 years ago to abandon his post for life in North Korea.

Jenkins, 65, along with his wife, two daughters and a few others, left his sister’s home shortly after 3 a.m. for Dulles International Airport in Virginia for a flight for Tokyo.

The family was expected to return to the Japanese island where they live.

At a news conference Monday, Jenkins said his decision to defect to communist North Korea in 1965 was wrong.

“I let my soldiers down. I let the U.S. Army down. I let the government down, and I made it very difficult for my family in the United States to live,” he said.