Input 2021.02.26 07:04 | Revision 2021.02.26 07:07
On the 25th (local time), according to Voice of the United States (VOA) and AFP, the Washington DC court ruled to compensate 171 people, including the crew of the Pueblo, their families, and their bereaved.
The judiciary provided a total of $76.63 million, including $131.1 million to $23.8 million per person, for 49 crew members, $22.5 million for 90 members of the crew’s family, and $179.21 million for 31 survivors, respectively. Admitted.
The amount that North Korea should reimburse is $1.1 billion, but the court doubled the amount as a punitive compensation for North Korea.
On January 23, 1968, the Pueblo, an intelligence-gathering ship belonging to the US Navy, carried 83 crew members and was arrested under the threat of four North Korean survivors and two MiG flags while carrying out business on the East Sea, 40 km from the North Korean coast.
In December of the same year, when the United States signed an apology to apologize for the invasion of North Korean territorial waters, North Korea released 82 crew members and one remains.
It was in February 2018 that surviving sailors and their families filed a class action lawsuit against North Korea. The crew of the Pueblo allegedly had been abused during the 11 months of being held in North Korea due to frequent beatings, torture, and malnutrition.
The VOA reported that North Korea did not officially respond to the lawsuit and that the decision of the court was made by a default judgment based solely on the plaintiff’s argument.