According to Google.com, the North Korean ship, Kang Nam, has turned around and is headed back to North Korea. Since the US Navy never actually stopped the ship--they just followed it--we have no idea what is on board or where they had originally intended to go.
The article also reports:
"The sailing of the vessel -- and efforts to track it -- set up the first test of a new U.N. Security Council resolution that authorizes member states to inspect North Korean vessels. The sanctions are punishment for an underground nuclear test the North carried out in May in defiance of past resolutions.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Obama administration imposed financial sanctions on a company in Iran that is accused of involvement in North Korea's missile proliferation network.
In the latest move to keep pressure on Pyongyang and its nuclear ambitions, the Treasury Department moved against Hong Kong Electronics, a company located in Kish Island, Iran. The action means that any bank accounts or other financial assets found in the United States belonging to the company must be frozen. Americans also are prohibited from doing business with the firm."
North Korea does not have the reputation for being the most sanely ruled country on the planet. The article did report that the ship was moving very slowly, as if trying to save fuel. I wonder if the ship had put off actually heading for its destination while being followed and then ran low on fuel. I also wonder if the 'fireworks' North Korea was planning to send in our direction are still on. As much as I feel that internationally President Obama is a weak President, I do think the North Koreans might have considered the consequences of their actions. I also wonder if the financial move against North Korea changed the situation--North Korea is desperate for money and has been known to sell its weapons to raise money. Financial consequences might be more devastating to them than stopping the ship.
There is one more thing to consider in this--North Korea works in concert with Iran (and thus Syria). In the past, North Korea has been used by Iran to divert the eyes of the world from what Iran is doing. This might be a really good time to keep our eyes open in the Middle East.
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