[PANAMA CITY] A North Korean ship detained near the Panama Canal for holding Cuban weapons is free to go after the ship's representatives paid a US$693,333 fine to the Panama Canal Authority, the authority said.

The return of the Chong Chon Gang to North Korea would end part of a bizarre case involving the three countries that provoked international controversy.

The ship was seized in July for smuggling Soviet-era arms, including two MiG-21 aircraft, under 10,000 tonnes of sugar.