[News Terms] 'Pueblo Incident' Reexamined Through North Korea Rodong Sinmun Report

The "Pueblo Incident" refers to the event in which the US Navy reconnaissance ship Pueblo was captured by the North Korean navy on January 23, 1968, in international waters off the coast of Wonsan, resulting in 82 US Navy crew members being held captive for 11 months before being released. The Pueblo was a naval intelligence-gathering ship converted from a general cargo vessel, weighing 906 tons, measuring 54 meters in length, 10 meters in width, and capable of speeds of 12.2 knots. The crew consisted of 6 officers, 75 enlisted personnel, and 2 civilians, totaling 83 people.

On the day of the incident, the Pueblo was ordered to stop by a North Korean patrol boat at noon, but refused on the grounds that it was in international waters. Subsequently, it was surrounded by three patrol boats and two MiG fighter jets, and North Korean forces boarded the ship and took it to Wonsan Harbor. During this process, one crew member was killed and 13 were injured due to gunfire from the North Korean forces.

Pueblo ship exhibited in Pyongyang.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

After the incident, the United States sent the nuclear aircraft carrier Enterprise and three destroyers near Wonsan Bay and contacted the Soviet Union to demand the immediate release of the ship and crew. Additionally, a reserve emergency mobilization order was issued, aircraft were put on alert, two fighter squadrons were dispatched to Osan and Gunsan bases, and two more aircraft carriers, one destroyer, and six submarines were moved to the East Sea, heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

After more than 30 secret meetings, the incident was resolved when the 82 abducted crew members and one set of remains returned through Panmunjom on December 23, 325 days after the incident. At the time, the United States, considering withdrawal from the Vietnam War due to domestic anti-war sentiment, did not want heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, the US made significant concessions during negotiations, including signing a document apologizing for the intrusion into North Korean territorial waters. However, the Pueblo’s hull was excluded from the return. The ship remained in Wonsan Harbor until 1991 and was moved to the Taedong River in Pyongyang in October 1999, where it is used as a security education facility for North Korean residents.

The Pueblo crew members who were detained in North Korea suffered torture and beatings by the North Korean regime and continued to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after returning to the United States. Four crew members, including William Thomas Marsh, filed a lawsuit against North Korea in 2006 and won a $97 million judgment. In 2021, 171 other crew members, family members, and survivors also won recognition of North Korea’s liability for $2.3 billion in damages.