[KS] Jong-il Personality Cult

Thu Sep 25 21:44:16 EDT 2003

You misunderstood my reasoning.  If the ship was disassembled in Wonson and 
reassembled in Pyongyang, that clarifies my question.  What I meant was 
that if the ship had been transported via high sea from Wonsan to Pyongyang 
(around the Korean peninsula), I am sure US would have known about it and 
would not have allowed it to reach the intended destination.

At 04:39 PM 9/25/2003 -0700, Frank Hoffmann wrote:

>Professor Choe wrote:
>
>>  I cannot imagine that the US would have allowed NK to remove it via 
>> high sea.  The only alternative must have been by land.  Is it possible 
>> to move the ship Pueblo via ground transportation?
>
>You can always disassemble a 900 to 1000 ton boat like that in a week or 
>two (which would be necessary anyway to get it through all the highway 
>tunnels)..... but what I find much more interesting is your note that you 
>can't imagine the US would have allowed NK to transport a spy ship that 
>had been captured over 30 years ago (by Oct. 1999, when it was 
>transported). That's more than alarming if so. There is a Senate 
>Resolution (see below) from January of this year (not the first one) 
>asking for the return of that ship, which, I think, speaks for itself. But 
>the suggestion that the U.S. military would go for an armed conflict to 
>conquer a 1944 build spy ship that was captured three decades ago is 
>rather ... well, scary.
>
>Frank
>
>--->>
>
>Congressional Record: January 29, 2003 (Senate)
>Page S1752-S1756
>
>
>                   STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
>
>
>
>
>    SENATE RESOLUTION 29--DEMANDING THE RETURN OF THE USS PUEBLO TO THE
>                            UNITED STATES NAVY
>
>   Mr. CAMPBELL submitted the following resolution; which was referred
>to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
>        Whereas the USS Pueblo, which was attacked and captured by
>      the North Korean Navy on January 23, 1968, was the first
>      United States Navy ship to be hijacked on the high seas by a
>      foreign military force in over 150 years;
>        Whereas 1 member of the USS Pueblo crew, Duane Hodges, was
>      killed in the assault while the other 82 crew members were
>      held in captivity, often under inhumane conditions, for 11
>      months;
>        Whereas the USS Pueblo, an intelligence collection
>      auxiliary vessel, was operating in international waters at
>      the time of the capture, and therefore did not violate North
>      Korean territorial waters;
>        Whereas the capture of the USS Pueblo resulted in no
>      reprisals against the Government or people of North Korea and
>      no military action at any time; and
>        Whereas the USS Pueblo, though still the property of the
>      United States Navy, has been retained by North Korea for more
>      than 30 years, was subjected to exhibition in the North
>      Korean cities of Wonsan and Hungham, and is now on display in
>      Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea: Now, therefore,
>      be it
>        Resolved,That the Senate--
>        (1) demands the return of the USS Pueblo to the United
>      States Navy; and
>        (2) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit copies
>      of this resolution to the President, the Secretary of
>      Defense, and the Secretary of State.
>
>   Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I am pleased to submit a Senate
>Resolution calling on North Korea to return the USS Pueblo to the
>United States Navy. The legislation I am reintroducing today is based
>on a resolution I introduced last year during the 107th Congress,
>Senate Resolution 246.
>   On January 23, 1968, the USS Pueblo was unjustly attacked and
>captured by
>
>[[Page S1754]]
>
>the North Korean Navy, becoming the first United States Navy ship to be
>hijacked on the high seas by a foreign military force in over 150
>years. At the time of its capture, the USS Pueblo was operating as an
>intelligence collection auxiliary vessel, and did not pose a threat.
>   This act of aggression resulted in the USS Pueblo's 82 crew members
>being held in captivity for eleven months, often in inhumane
>conditions. Another brave crew member, Duane Hodges, was killed during
>the initial attack and several more crew members were wounded. On
>December 23, 1968, after nearly a year of being unjustly detained the
>surviving USS Pueblo crew members were finally released and allowed to
>return home.
>   It is interesting to note that the USS Pueblo I am calling on the
>North Koreans to return today is in fact the third ship of the fleet to
>be named in honor of the city and county of Pueblo, located in my home
>State of Colorado. The first ship of the fleet to be named in honor of
>Pueblo was an armored cruiser which had previously been named the
>Colorado. In 1916, the USS Colorado was renamed as the USS Pueblo when
>a new battleship named USS Colorado was authorized. The first USS
>Pueblo served until 1927. The second USS Pueblo was a city class
>frigate which served from 1944 to 1946. She was later sold to the
>Dominican Republic where she serves today.
>   The third USS Pueblo is the ship now wrongly held by the North
>Koreans. Built by the Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering
>Corporation, Kewaunee, WI, the ship originally served as a general
>purpose supply vessel FP-344 for service in the U.S. Army
>Transportation Corps when she was launched on April 16, 1944. During
>1966 and 1967 the ship was converted, redesignated as the USS Pueblo
>and commissioned as an environmental research vessel, AGER-2.
>   It is important to note that even to this day the capture of the USS
>Pueblo has resulted in no reprisal against North Korea, demonstrating
>remarkable restraint by the United States. Even though the USS Pueblo
>still clearly remains the legal property of the United States Navy, the
>North Korean Government has kept it on display as a sort of traveling
>propaganda museum.
>   Recent events have made it clear that many unresolved issues remain
>regarding our Nation's relationship with North Korea. For example,
>North Korea's recent high-profile resumption of nuclear saber-rattling
>presents a serious resurgent challenge that we, our allies in Northeast
>Asia and the rest of the world community must take seriously.
>   While I certainly agree that successfully resolving this situation is
>first and foremost, I also believe that there are other positive
>restorative steps that the North Koreans should take in order to help
>improve our bilateral relationship. One such action would be to return
>the USS Pueblo to its rightful owners, the United States Navy and the
>American people they serve and protect.
>   While returning the USS Pueblo may not necessarily remove the 35
>year-old scars inflicted by the attack of January 23, 1968, and
>especially those suffered by the crew of the USS Pueblo and by their
>families and loved ones, it would serve as a good will gesture, a salve
>if you will, signaling hope for a brighter future between our two
>nation's peoples.
>   I stand with my colleagues back home in the Colorado State General
>Assembly in demanding the return of the USS Pueblo to the United States
>Navy.
>   I urge my colleagues here in the U.S. Senate to join me in supporting
>passage of this important resolution.
>
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Yong-ho Choe
Department of History
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI  96822

Tel: 808 956-6762
Fax: 808 956-9600
E-mail: choeyh at hawaii.edu
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