On August 15, 1962, U.S. Private First Class James Joseph Dresnok defected to North Korea by running across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from South Korea. At the time of his defection, he had gone AWOL (Absent without Leave) after facing a court martial for forging documents. Once across the DMZ, he was arrested by North Korean authorities and sent to the capital Pyongyang for interrogation. He subsequently married and settled there, and worked for the communist regime by appearing in propaganda films (for which he became a local celebrity), teaching English, and translating official government documents into English. He was one of six American soldiers to defect after the Korean War.
(Taken from Wars of the 20th Century – Twenty Wars in Asia)
Prisoner Exchanges and Defections during the Korean War In April-May 1953, an exchange of sick and wounded prisoners was made under Operation Little Switch. In June 1953, during armistice talks, both sides agreed that prisoners who did not wish to be repatriated would be forced to do so – a long contentious issue during negotiations since the Chinese and North Koreans insisted that all POWs must return to their home countries. Prisoners who did not desire repatriation would be allowed 90 days to reconsider being allowed to remain permanently.
In the armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953, POW repatriation would be undertaken by the newly formed independent body, the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC). The NNRC, chaired by General K.S. Thimayya from India, subsequently launched Operation Big Switch, where in August-December 1953, some 70,000 North Korean and 5,500 Chinese POWs, and 12,700 UN POWs (including 7,800 South Koreans, 3,600 Americans, and 900 British), were repatriated. Some 22,000 Chinese/North Korean POWs refused to be repatriated – the 14,000 Chinese prisoners who refused repatriation eventually moved to the Republic of China (Taiwan), where they were given civilian status. Much to the astonishment of U.S. and British authorities, 21 American and 1 British (together with 325 South Korean) POWs also refused to be repatriated, and chose to move to China. All POWs on both sides who refused to be repatriated were given 90 days to change their minds, as required under the armistice agreement.