Charles Robert Jenkins (18 February 1940 – 11 December 2017) was a United States Army deserter, North Korean prisoner, and voice for Japanese abductees in North Korea. It was a fear of combat and possible service in the Vietnam War that led then-Sergeant Jenkins to abandon his patrol and walk across the Korean Demilitarized Zone in January 1965. Instead of being sent to the Soviet Union and then traded back to the US, Jenkins was held captive in North Korea for over 39 years. While held prisoner, Jenkins was tortured, forced to wed a captured Japanese national, and performed in North Korean propaganda videos.