PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — A North Korean cargo ship seized by the U.S. because of suspicion it was used to violate international sanctions arrived Saturday at the capital of this American territory.
U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer Amanda Wyrick says the trip from Indonesia took about three weeks and American Samoa, in the South Pacific, was chosen because of “its central strategic location.”
The ship was detained in April 2018 as it travelled toward Indonesia. Justice Department officials announced Thursday that the U.S. had seized the ship.
Officials made the announcement of the ship’s seizure hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, the second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble.
Fili Sagapolutele, The Associated Press
