U.S. Court ruled in compensation of 2.5 trillion won to North Korea, which captured the Pueblo in 1968

The hull of the Pueblo displayed on the shores of the Boongong River, the outdoor exhibition hall of the North Korean Tradition Memorial Hall © AFP=News1

AFP news agency reported on the 26th that a US court ordered reimbursement of US$2.3 billion (about 2.5 trillion won) to North Korea, which captured the US information box Pueblo in 1968.

In its final ruling on the 24th, the Washington DC federal court charged 1.15 billion dollars as compensation for the sufferings of the surviving sailors and their families, and doubled this as a punitive reparation for the North Korean regime. This is the largest amount of compensation in the history of a North Korean lawsuit.

The U.S. Navy’s intelligence-gathering ship Pueblo was captured on January 23, 1968, carrying 83 crew members while conducting business in the East Sea of ​​North Korea.

North Korea released 82 passengers and one remains only after the US apologized for the invasion of the North Korean territorial waters in December of that year. Many of the sailors filed class action suits claiming that they were mentally and physically abused while being held in North Korea.

This lawsuit was filed only in 2018, when the U.S. Department of Justice ruled that foreign governments were exempt from lawsuits in the U.S. courts, but if designated as an international terrorist support agency, they could be sued.

At the end of 2017, the Trump administration officially declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism.

Experts believe that it is unlikely that North Korea will pay $2.3 billion in reparations, but it is possible for the US to seize North Korean assets abroad.

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