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You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / WTF Will Come of This?

WTF Will Come of This?

by John Cole|  May 9, 20192:06 pm| 19 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs

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Odd:

U.S. authorities have seized a North Korean ship used to sell coal allegedly in violation of international sanctions, the first such move by Justice Department officials as they ratchet up enforcement efforts against the regime in Pyongyang.

Justice Department officials on Thursday confirmed the Wise Honest is approaching U.S. territorial waters, with coordination of the U.S. Marshals and the Coast Guard.

“This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,” Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in announcing the seizure.

I thought Trump had everything fixed with NoKo.

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Previous Post: « Build It And They Will Come
Next Post: Breaking News: The US Has Seized a North Korean Cargo Ship »

Reader Interactions

19Comments

  1. 1.

    Frankensteinbeck

    May 9, 2019 at 2:08 pm

    The Wise Honest! BWAHAHAHAHA. They should have named it Not A Smuggling Vessel, Honest.

  2. 2.

    Jharp

    May 9, 2019 at 2:10 pm

    So what do you do with a 17,000 ton ship?

    I don’t think I’d want it if it was offered to me for free

  3. 3.

    oatler.

    May 9, 2019 at 2:11 pm

    The Wise Honest is a ship’s name?? When are they going to seize the Stable Genius?

  4. 4.

    James E Powell

    May 9, 2019 at 2:11 pm

    Does China have an opinion on this kind of thing? Are they cool with the US getting heavy with the North Koreans?

  5. 5.

    trollhattan

    May 9, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    Little Kim to resume missile tests pretty much right now. Trump’s fucking bored and wants to distract from, you know….

  6. 6.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 9, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    John Bolton’s wet dream: war with Iran and NoKo.

  7. 7.

    rikyrah

    May 9, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    nothing good will come of this.
    nothing good

  8. 8.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 9, 2019 at 2:16 pm

    I posted somewhere in a dying thread downstairs, the former Soviet countries are celebrating today, May 9, “victory over fascism” day (you may know it as V-E Day.)

    Too bad it wasn’t a lasting victory.

  9. 9.

    MJS

    May 9, 2019 at 2:18 pm

    Vlad: “Imbecile, you are in trouble. You need distraction. Seize North Korea ship. I cleared with Kim. Is okay. Will make you look strong.”
    Trump: “What? I can’t do that! I’ve fixed things with North Korea.”
    Vlad: “Jesus Christ, what an idiot. Someone get Pompeo on the phone.”

  10. 10.

    clay

    May 9, 2019 at 2:18 pm

    Is it weird that the Justice Dept did this? That seems weird. Why are they in charge of enforcing sanctions against another country?

  11. 11.

    Another Scott

    May 9, 2019 at 2:20 pm

    BBC News:

    The vessel was initially impounded in Indonesia in April 2018.

    […]

    Payments for the maintenance of the Wise Honest were allegedly made in US dollars through unsuspecting US banks – giving the US authorities the opportunity to mount an unusual civil forfeiture legal action.

    The ship was first confiscated by foreign maritime authorities in Indonesia last April, carrying $3m of coal.

    FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney Jr said the seizure should serve as a clear signal that the United States will not allow foreign adversaries to use its financial systems to fund weapons programs which will be used to threaten the country.

    […]

    Hmmm…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  12. 12.

    Gravenstone

    May 9, 2019 at 2:26 pm

    @Another Scott: Well, this at least assuages my initial leap to the worst case; that this was a set up and that Kim’s regime had secreted something unpleasant on board. To be deployed on reaching US waters. Not sure which of the resident hyperbolic doomsayers is rubbing off on me more …

  13. 13.

    Cheryl Rofer

    May 9, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    NK cargo ship seized by US authorities now on its way to American Samoa. US judge in July '18 issued a warrant authorizing the seizure of the ship that exported NK coal. Today complaint unsealed. Justice Dept says "no connection at all" btw recent activities by NK & the unsealing

    — Kylie Atwood (@kylieatwood) May 9, 2019

  14. 14.

    Ruviana

    May 9, 2019 at 2:35 pm

    The ship name sounds extremely East Asian to me–probably sounds more normal in Korean than it does in English. I’m wondering about how Trump’s really good friend li’l Kim feels about it tho.

  15. 15.

    Mike in NC

    May 9, 2019 at 2:36 pm

    The DPRK regime and the Trump family both have a long history of money laundering. That’s why Fat Bastard and Kim bonded so quickly.

  16. 16.

    dmsilev

    May 9, 2019 at 2:39 pm

    Cargo of coal, huh? Probably wanted it so the Feds could burn it, just to piss off The Libs.

  17. 17.

    catclub

    May 9, 2019 at 2:41 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Two! Two land wars in Asia

  18. 18.

    matryoshka

    May 9, 2019 at 2:47 pm

    @dmsilev: Trump needs that coal so he can put it back into the mountains and save the coal mining industry.

  19. 19.

    Wapiti

    May 9, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    @Jharp: My childhood pastor related a story of bidding on a US Navy surplus destroyer. He and his college friends won the bid, and discovered the ship’s guns and engine had been removed. So they were staring at a bunch of old steel and soon-to-be mounting moorage fees. They were able to put together enough money for a tug company to tow it out past the Golden Gate and scuttle it.

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