DPRK's KCNA: Spy Ship Pueblo  
Korean Central News Agency
(Pyongyang)

January 20, 2003
[FBIS Transcribed Text] 

       Pyongyang, January 20 (kcna) -- the spy ship pueblo, a trophy 
captured by korean seamen from the U.S. imperialists, is on display on 
the river taedong in pyongyang. 

     it was in juche 88 (1999) that the ship, captured on January 23, 
1968 was brought to the river near the monument to the sinking of the 
U.S. pirate ship general sherman. 

     since the spy ship was brought to the river, it has been visited by 
360,000 korean people including servicemen and schoolchildren, and more 
than 7,000 foreigners. 

     pak in ho, an officer and hero of the republic who was the head of 
the seven-member death-defying corps that captured the ship, briefs 
visitors on what the ship did, the combat for capturing it and the 
brazen-faced and crafty nature of the U.S. imperialists. 

     the 1,000-ton ship, equipped with various kinds of arms and 
sophisticated reconnaissance facilities, was boarded by 83 U.S. seamen at 
that time. 

     it, guising itself as a ''civilian marine research ship'', entered 
into the territorial waters of korea and collected state and military 
secrets upon orders of the U.S. cia before being captured. 

     as soon as the incident occurred, the U.S. imperialists alleged that 
it was captured in high seas and it did not commit any crime. 

    they brought the situation to the brink of war, massing armed forces 
around the korean peninsula. 

     but korea declared it would meet their ''retaliation'' with 
retaliation, and a total war with a total war. 

     the U.S. government admitted the reconnaissance mission of the ship 
in December that year and signed a document pledging to refrain from such 
an act. 

[Description of Source: P'yongyang KCNA in English -- Official DPRK news 
agency]