James Joseph Dresnok, a U.S. military serviceman who in 1962 defected to North Korea by running through a minefield across the demilitarized zone, died in 2016 following a period of serious illness, regular visitors to Pyongyang told NK News last week.

News about the death of Dresnok, one of only a handful of Americans who defected North following the Korean War, has not to date been publicized by state media, despite him having played numerous roles in North Korean movies over the years.

“We were told via film industry contacts in Pyongyang that he had passed away,” said Simon Cockerell, the general manager