Washington: The US Navy intercepted a North Korean ship suspected of carrying missile technology to Myanmar and after dramatic stand-off forced it to turn back, according to a report of The New York Times.
Pyongyang was forced to recall the ship home after last month’s confrontation, which involved several days of diplomatic wrangling, the newspaper said in its report late Sunday, citing unnamed US officials.
The US government made no official announcement about the operation, the paper added.
But it said US officials had described the episode as an example of how they can use a combination of naval power and diplomatic pressure to enforce UN sanctions imposed on North Korea after its 2009 nuclear test.
The authorities in Belize gave permission to the United States to inspect the ship.
On May 26, somewhere south of Shanghai, the US destroyer McCampbell caught up with the cargo ship M/V Light and hailed it, asking to board the vessel, The Times wrote. (AFP)