Remember the USS Pueblo, 23 January 1968

by Richardson ~ January 22nd, 2008. Filed under: History, North Korea, U.S. Military.

From the Navy Historical Center:

On 23 January 1968, while off Wonsan, North Korea, Pueblo was attacked by local forces and seized. One crewmember was killed in the assault and the other eighty-two men on board were taken prisoner. The North Koreans contended that the ship had violated their territorial waters, a claim vigorously denied by the United States. After eleven months in captivity, often under inhumane conditions, Pueblo’s crew were repatriated on 23 December 1968. The ship was retained by North Korea, though she is still the property of the U.S. Navy. She was exhibited at Wonsan and Hungham for three decades and is now a museum at Pyongyang, the North Korean capital city.

North Korea now uses the USS Pueblo as a propaganda piece and tourist location. For a Google Earth view of the USS Pueblo in Pyongyang, go here and scroll down; more imagery at Global Security.

At sea:

In Pyongyang:

The crew convinced their North Korean handlers this was something like a greeting. The were punished when the photos were published in the West and the North Koreans realized they’d been made fools of:

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5 Responses to Remember the USS Pueblo, 23 January 1968

  1. toratora
    January 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 pm

    not to nitpick but i believe its “23 December 1969″ they were repatriated….just for flow of reading …

  2. Richardson
    January 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 am

    Another UUS Pueblo factoid:

    Then Mr. Kim decided the propaganda would be even better if the ship was moved from the east coast to the capital. So the Korean Navy disguised the Pueblo as a freighter, ran up the North Korean flag and sailed it for nine days through international waters around South Korea to the west coast of North Korea, and then up a river to Pyongyang. In 1999, the Pueblo opened triumphantly to crowds in Pyongyang.

    “When this ship left Wonsan port [on the east coast], Japanese ships mobilized to check it,” said Col. Kim Jung Rok, who as a 28-year-old sailor helped storm the Pueblo and is now in charge of it. “But then they saw it was an ordinary freighter and withdrew.”

  3. TheChosunHapa
    January 24th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    Not exactly an academic comment I know but that first picture of the crews’ “greeting” makes me happier than most things

  4. Sonagi
    January 24th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    Best use of the middle finger ever.

  5. North Korean Oddities: USS Pueblo | DPRK Forum
    April 14th, 2008 at 3:24 am

    […] DPRK Studies posting […]

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