US State Department delivers $400 million court ruling to North Korea

The United States State Department has officially delivered a court ruling to North Korea ordering the regime to pay approximately $400 million in damages to the crew and families of the USS Pueblo. According to documents released by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the State Department sent the legal documents, including the default judgment and notice of judgment, to North Korea’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York on August 8.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in 2023 by 119 individuals, including 15 crew members and their heirs, regarding the 1968 seizure of the USS Pueblo, a U.S. Navy intelligence vessel. The crew members were detained for 11 months, during which they faced physical abuse and torture. This marks the third major compensation ruling against North Korea related to the incident, following previous judgments in 2008 and 2021.

While North Korea is unlikely to pay voluntarily, the delivery of these documents facilitates legal enforcement. Victims of successful lawsuits against state sponsors of terrorism can apply for compensation through the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. Additionally, the ruling allows for the tracking and seizure of North Korean frozen assets held in international financial institutions to recover the damages.