South Korea Blames North Korea for Attack on Warship
VOA News 19 May 2010
South Korea says it is clear that North Korea was responsible for a deadly attack on a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors March 26.
Officials in Seoul issued a report Thursday saying evidence points "overwhelmingly" to the conclusion that the ship was destroyed by a torpedo fired from a North Korean submarine. The report said there is no other plausible explanation.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed to take "firm measures" against the North. He made the comment in a telephone conversation Thursday with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
In a speech Wednesday, South Korea's Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said it was "obvious" North Korea was behind the attack. He said the evidence was strong enough for South Korea to bring the accusation to the United Nations Security Council.
The North has denied any responsibility in the incident.
A South Korean newspaper Wednesday cited unnamed government officials saying fragments of a torpedo found near the blast site are similar to parts of a North Korean torpedo propeller obtained years ago by South Korea.
The officials also told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper the serial number on the torpedo fragment was printed in a font typically used by North Korea.
South Korean President Lee discussed the incident during a phone call Monday with U.S. President Barack Obama. A White House statement said Mr. Obama reaffirmed America's "unwavering commitment" to South Korea's security.
The area where the South Korean ship sank is near a maritime border designated by the United Nations at the signing of the 1953 Korean armistice. Pyongyang has never accepted the border as valid. And the two Koreas have fought three separate naval clashes in the area since 1999.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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