Comrade Joe

Hailing from the great state of Virginia, Joe Dresnok joined the military after dropping out of school and was stationed near the DMZ in South Korea. Shortly after finding out that his wife had left him, Dresnok left base without permission for a night of drinking and whoring, and upon returning was notified that he would be court marshaled. Outraged, Dresnok decided that he was through with the military. Shortly after, at noon and in broad daylight, Dresnok ran across the minefields of the DMZ, the most heavily fortified place on earth, and some how managed to make it into North Korea without being blown up or shot. He was then arrested, and brought to the capitol for interrogation.

After awhile in North Korea, Dresnok, and 3 other American defectors decided that, in fact, North Korea wasn't that great a place to live, and tried to seek asylum at the Soviet embassy in Pyongyang. However, the Soviets immediately turned them over to the North Koreans, after which Joe decided he would try to make his home in North Korea. For Joe,this meant starring in North Korean propaganda films as the evil American. He garnered a great deal of celebrity in North Korea for these films, and was provided a relatively cushy government stipend by North Korean standards, which he continued to enjoy as millions of North Koreans starved to death. Dresnok maintains that the "dear leader" is a great man, and says we would never go back to America for any amount of money.

I first heard about the documentary on Joe shortly before leaving for Korea, but haven't been able to find it here yet. Nonetheless, the 60 minutes piece seems to give a pretty good overview on the story. Great job bud.