He probably defected, most evidence points that way but the family had some doubts. It sounds like he was a bit mixed-up.
PFC Joseph White's walk in the dark: The defection of an American soldier to North Korea [Part 1]
By Robert Neff
A propaganda leaflet of PFC White's defection to North Korea. Robert Neff Collection.
On August 28, 1982, at about 2 a.m., the sound of a single gunshot shattered the silence of the Panmunjeom region of Korea's Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Gunfire along the DMZ was not uncommon, and while it was alarming, none could have imagined that it signified the unthinkable ― the defection of an American soldier to North Korea.
The incident occurred at Guard Post Oullette, one of the most forward American positions at that time in South Korea. PFC Joseph T. White, a member of the 1st Battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment, was alone at his post when he shot off the lock of one of the gates leading into the 2.5-mile-wide DMZ, and made his way into one of most heavily fortified and mined zones in the world.
Part 1 continued at: Korea Times .
PFC Joseph White's walk in the dark: The defection of an American soldier to North Korea [Part 2]
PFC Joseph White in North Korea. Courtesy of Jacco Zwetsloot's Collection
By Robert Neff
Joseph White was from St. Louis, Missouri, and lived in a middle-class neighborhood of two-story, well-kept brick bungalows with his parents and four siblings.
An examination of his early childhood portrays him as idealistic and extremely patriotic. At the age of 13 he wrote to his senator warning him of the communist threat that he felt America was facing. He ensured the family's American flag was flown on all national holidays and was "folded just right" at sunset. He was also a volunteer with the Reagan's presidential campaign.
But his personality was complicated and filled with contradictions and the inability to fit in or be satisfied with himself. He was described as a nice enough boy, who was never in trouble at school or in public. Academically he was an average student, a devout Roman Catholic, and while in high school he volunteered as a counselor for handicapped children and was active in the Boy Scouts.
Part 2 continued at Korea Times
<a hef="
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_T._White"> Wikipedia [/url]
Joseph T. White (November 5, 1961 — August 1, 1985) was a United States Army soldier who defected to North Korea on August 28, 1982.[1]
So, he had his "drowning" accident about 3 years after defecting. One of these articles said this was the first defection since the 1960s, that must have meant to North Korea, I'm sure there were other defections.
