Jenkins’ Trip to NC


Charles Jenkins, the man who deserted the US Army to face a living hell in North Korea, is back in Japan after visiting his mother in North Carolina. He enjoyed his 2-week weeklong visit to his hometown, and we know this for a fact because reporters were in his face the whole time. Jenkins and family were greeted by a line of photographers and reporters starting at Narita airport, a similar line when he touched down in North Carolina, and from the beginning to the end of his trip the media followed him as if he were the pied piper. To show you how closely he was followed, just take a look at the things they covered:

Jenkins meets his mother

Jenkins gives present to friend
Jenkins visits graveyard

Jenkins and family go bowling
Jenkins visits Veterans’ Museum (For this story, I saw on Japanese TV news that a reporter shoved a microphone into Hitomi Soga’s face as she was viewing the exhibit to ask, “What do you think about the museum?”
Jenkins visits lake where he used to play as a child

They followed him EVERYWHERE. Before he came, I naively considered going to NC (only 3 hours away) to try and interview him. I was unprepared, however, for the absolute explosion of coverage that followed his arrival.

My boss explained the obvious to me: the kidnapping story captures the Japanese public’s attention on a level that goes beyond even America’s fascination with the Michael Jackson case. As a result, reporters are never far from Jenkins or Soga. While they may have stopped recording his every move during the period of downtime preceding his trip to the US, they were hot on his trail as soon as something dramatic happened. The media scramble might be a little distasteful, but I must admit I eat it up like the glutton I am.

But why is he putting up with this bullshit? I mean, there are ways to avoid reporters if you want to. The answer to that, I believe, is that the publicity keeps him in the public eye and will make it easier for him to sell his memoirs when they come out. Time Asia bureau chief Jim Frederick is working closely with the former defector to get his biography written and published. I know I’ll get it as soon as it comes out.

UPDATE: NKZone points us to a THINK News‘ link to a sympathetic editorial from the Raleigh News & Observer.

3 thoughts on “Jenkins’ Trip to NC”

  1. I’m not sure how much money the Japanese government will be giving the abductees in future years, once the furore has died down. Milking the current media frenzy by writing his memoirs seems like a damn good pension strategy.

  2. I was back in the states as well, and noted that many in his home town were angry with him for having gone over to the Norks. What you have to keep in mind is that Jenkins, despite his years of service, latched on to barracks rumors that his unit was bound for Vietnam and took them at face value. In other words, SGT Jenkins wasn’t all that bright! (It was his unit designation that went to Vietnam, following the reflagging of the 2nd Infantry Division to the 1st Cav, as depicted in the movie “We were soldiers once, and young…”

    He more than paid for his mistake, so it’s time to forget him and let him move on with his life.

  3. Amen to that lirelou.

    I wish these people from his hometown who still hold a grudge (and weren’t too reticent about it when reporters were around) would see that point. The man spend 40 years in North Korea for God’s sake.

    Now that I think of it, I wonder how it would break down if you gave people a choice:

    1) One year tour of duty in Vietnam
    2) 40 year stay in North Korea

    Odds of returning aren’t too good either way, I’d say. But at least you know you’ve got a chance in Vietnam.

Comments are closed.