US Coast Guard says seized N. Korean ship sold, towed from American Samoa

The US Coast Guard said a seized North Korean cargo ship, suspected of being used to violate international sanctions, has been sold and towed from American Samoa.

The US seized the ‘Wise Honest’ in May and towed it to the port of Pago Pago in the US territory.

The parents of Otto Warmbier filed a claim for the ship, seeking to collect on a multimillion-dollar judgment awarded in the American college student’s death, AP reported. They say their son was tortured in North Korea after being convicted of trying to steal a propaganda poster.

Details about the sale were not immediately reported. Before the US seized the vessel, it had been detained by Indonesia in 2018 while transporting a large amount of coal.