The USS Pueblo, a spy ship, is now moored in a river in Pyongyang and serves as a tourist attraction; guided tours are offered by officials and the story of how the brave sailors of the “People’s Army” defeated the “US imperialists” by capturing this ship that was in their territorial waters is told to anyone who takes these tours.
However, the United States denies this claim, and says that the Pueblo was well within international waters. According to them, the ship was disguised as a scientific vessel and set sail from Japan carrying high-tech communications equipment and a crew of more than 80.
Many of these people were experts in decoding the messages they hoped to intercept from the North Korean Army. As long as Pueblo stayed in international waters, no one suspected that the North Koreans might try to capture it. However, North Korea unexpectedly opened fire on the ship. It was captured by North Korea on 23 January 1968. Its crew was held prisoners by North Korea for 11 months before being released.