|
Former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan asked North Korea to return the USS Pueblo to the U.S. during his visit to Pyongyang early March, a member of his entourage said Thursday. North Korea hijacked the U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Wonsan in January 1968, claiming it had crossed into North Korean waters.
According to the aide, after looking at the Pueblo, which is on display near the Taedong River, the former prime minister told officials of the North¡¯s Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation that the return of the captured ship would be a chance to improve U.S.-North Korean relations. North Korean officials apparently were not wholly averse to the idea and they appeared willing to report it to their seniors, the aide said.
The proposal has resulted in speculation that Lee¡¯s remarks after his return to Seoul that North Korea may take ¡°concrete action¡± to build trust with the U.S. refer to the return of the vessel. The captured naval ship was moved from Wonsan to the Taedong River area in 1999. Washington has been demanding the return of the ancient ship.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
