Fifty Years Ago, North Korea Captured an American Ship and Nearly Started a Nuclear War
The provocative incident involving the USS Pueblo was peacefully resolved, in part because of the ongoing Vietnam War
By Lorraine Boissoneault
From missiles flying over Japan to threats of fiery destruction for Guam, North Korea spent much of 2017 provoking its East Asian neighbors—and the United States. While the recent missile tests and threats seem alarming, it’s hardly the first time the U.S. and North Korea have danced on the edge of total war. The secretive nation, currently ruled by dictator Kim Jong-Un, has long engaged in belligerent and sometimes violent behavior to deter other nations from attacking, and to prove the government’s legitimacy to its people. Perhaps no incident is more demonstrative of the risks North Korea is willing to take than the capture of the USS Pueblo that occurred 50 years ago, on January 23, 1968, at the height of the Cold War.
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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/fifty-years-ago-north-korea-captured-american-ship-and-nearly-started-nuclear-war-180967919/#6SJ4V3tYPuJwCiCs.99
