WTF? American Who Crossed Into North Korea May Have Defected

That latest American who crossed into North Korea looks more likely to be a Spartacist than Spartacus:

South Korea’s Dong-a Ilbo newspaper said the man crossed into North Korea from China on Monday.

It said an unidentified source in North Korea told the newspaper the 28-year-old man said he came to the country because he did not “want to become a cannon fodder in the capitalist military,” and “wants to serve in the North Korean military” instead. [Washington Post, via AP]

On the one hand, he’s probably no greater loss to American society than Charles Robert Jenkins. On the other hand, he may soon wish he’d read talked to Jenkins (“[T]he stupidest decision of my life“) before he decided to make himself James Dresnok‘s bitch.

I’m unaware of any other reports of Americans defecting to North Korea since the 1960’s, although there have been a few reports of South Koreans defecting to the North since the Great Famine. Why, it was only last October that a South Korean man, who was under investigation for assaulting his employer, defected to the North and was placed “under the warm care of a relevant organ.” I recall reading a few other sporadic reports of reverse defections as well.

Friendly reminder: all of this reporting is sourced to one of the Donga Ilbo’s anonymous sources. It could be disinformation or just groundless gossip.

Hat tip: Kushibo.