Apart from the issue of nuclear weapons, there are many things that make relations between North Korea and the United States never improve, one of which is related to the USS Pueblo incident (AGER-2).
This is because the existence of the spy ship continues to hurt feelings and embarrass the image of the United States in the eyes of the international community. And remembering the 55th anniversary of the USS Pueblo incident, Washington again made a request that was impossible for Pyongyang to grant, namely that the USS Pueblo be returned to the US.
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From the Telegraph.co.uk page (24/1/2023), the United States has demanded that North Korea return the USS Pueblo, a spy ship that was forcibly seized in 1968 and moored in Pyongyang since then as a tourist attraction.
Greg Steube, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, submitted a resolution last week asking North Korea to return the USS Pueblo, in time for last Monday marking the 55th anniversary of the North Korean military's capture of the USS Pueblo on January 23, 1968.
In the USS Pueblo incident, the United States insisted it was operating outside North Korean waters, namely in the Sea of Japan when it was approached and fired on by four North Korean patrol boats and two MiG-21 fighter jets. One of the 83 crew members of the USS Pueblo died in the gun battle.
Unfortunately, the United States combat power element was unable to do much when the USS Pueblo was ambushed, where the reconnaissance ship had to surrender when it was forcibly pulled to Wonsan Harbor. The entire USS Pueblo crew (82 people) were then detained by North Korea, while the US said the detention of the USS Pueblo crew was a form of violation of international law.
The USS Pueblo's 82 crew members were eventually repatriated across the Demilitarized Zone 11 months after their vessel was captured, with Commander Lloyd Bucher later saying he had been subjected to mock executions by firing squad, in an attempt to force him to confess to illegally entering North Korean waters. He later signed a confession when his men were threatened with execution.
The crew and their families filed a lawsuit for damages in 2018 over the "mental and physical abuse" they experienced in North Korea, with a US court ruling in their favor in 2021.
Pyongyang was ordered to pay US$2 billion in damages, or a minimum of US$3.35 million for each crew member in compensation. And as you might guess, North Korea has clearly ignored the US court's decision.
From a different perspective, North Korea claims the USS Pueblo knowingly entered its territorial waters and therefore its troops were justified in boarding and taking control of the ship.
The Pueblo Incident became a historic event highlighting Korea's heroic war victory in the 1950s. The Pueblo incident was also used by North Korea to propagate the US's victory in the war and the defeat of the US in a confrontation.
At first glance, the USS Pueblo is a reconnaissance ship or spy ship, although officially this ship is an environmental research ship of the Banner Class. Built by Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering, USS Pueblo was launched on 16 April 1944 and entered service on 7 April 1945.
From the specifications, USS Pueblo has an empty weight of 550 tons and a full weight of 895 tons. This ship is 54 meters long and 9.8 meters wide. USS Pueblo is powered by two GM Cleveland Division 6-278A 6-cyl V6 diesel engines, which are capable of bringing the ship to speeds of 12.7 knots.
For weapons, the USS Pueblo, which carries out intelligence functions, is only armed with two 12.7 mm caliber heavy machine guns. What is clear is that it cannot compensate for armed contact with North Korea.
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