The cuddle course is over: Shortly after a North Korean missile test, the US has made the seizure of a freighter public. However, the ship has been fixed for some time.
The US accuses North Korea of violating sanctions. Therefore, a freighter had been confiscated. According to the Department of Justice, the Wise Honest illegally transported coal from North Korea and brought heavy machinery to the East Asian country. The vessel was registered in North Korea and had already been set by the Indonesian authorities in early April 2018. It is now in US custody.
The timing of the release could be related to the recent weapons testing of the North Korean armed forces. Since the collapse of the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam in February, the bilateral relationship has cooled significantly.
Some experts suspect that the North Korean missile tests above all want to increase pressure on the US. North Korea demands an end to the restrictive economic sanctions. In the past, especially Japanese authorities have repeatedly published photos and videos of ships that are supposed to show the pumping of crude oil at sea. Japan claims that North Korea is handling the sanctions.
„Very serious situation“
Trump criticized the recent missile test of North Korea. Nobody is happy about it, he said. The US was watching the „very serious“ situation.
According to findings of the South Korean army, North Korea had launched two rockets that flew 420 and 270 kilometers, respectively. It was already the second weapon test within a week.
