Mexico Decides to Seize North Korean Ship Detained Two Years Ago

It looks like President Park must have put some pressure on the Mexican government to go ahead and seize the North Korean ship they detained two years ago when it ran aground on a reef and the North Korean government refused to pay fees for its release:

Mexico has confiscated a North Korean commercial ship affiliated with a North Korean firm blacklisted by the U.N. Security Council for suspicions of shipping weapons of mass destruction, an official notice revealed Friday.

In an official gazette, the Mexican prosecution said it has decided to seize the 6,700-ton Mu Du Bong, adding the decision will immediately take effect.

The prosecution said the decision was largely based on consideration for government expenses such as mooring fees, which North Korea has been refusing, or unable, to pay.

However, decision also comes after the Mexican president, in a meeting with his South Korean counterpart earlier in the month, said his country will handle the North Korean ship in a manner that faithfully carries out its obligation as a member of the United Nations.

The North Korean freighter had been detained at Mexico’s Tuxpan port since July 2014 when it was rescued after becoming aground on a reef off the Mexican city. The ship was later determined to be affiliated with a North Korean firm blacklisted under U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at punishing the communist North for its military provocations.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but I maintain that the US should pursue sanctions that not only allow the seizing of North Korean ships conducting illicit activity, but also the selling of them to pay reparations to the victims of the Kim regime’s various terrorist attacks and deadly provocations over the decades.