Formal report set to be released on Thursday by investigating panel

SEOUL - Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said on Wednesday that involvement of Pyongyang in the deadly sinking of an ROK warship in March is "obvious," the ROK's Yonhap News Agency reported.

Yu told a group of European diplomats and business officials that the ongoing investigations have revealed that the previously unexplained explosion was caused by "the detonation of a torpedo", according to Yonhap.

When asked whether he believed the sinking was caused by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Yu said: "It's obvious."

He made the remarks only a day before the government announces the outcome of the ongoing investigations conducted by a multinational team of investigators.

Yu said that investigators have enough evidence of DPRK involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan to warrant taking Pyongyang to the UN Security Council and would be presenting their findings on Thursday.

Yonhap reported that the ROK government briefed envoys of China, Russia and Japan, neighboring countries involved in multinational talks aimed at ending the DPRK's nuclear programs, on the deadly sinking of its warship.

Yu's comments are the first by an ROK official to clearly point the finger at the DPRK for one of the worst attacks on the ROK since the two Koreas signed a truce in 1953 to end three years of fighting.

"The ROK government will resolutely and cautiously take necessary measures," Yu said, calling for concerted international cooperation in punishing those responsible.

"After we take appropriate measures regarding the incident, we will continue our efforts along with other countries concerned for the DPRK's denuclearization," he added.

The 1,200-ton naval ship Cheonan, with 104 crew members onboard, went down on March 26 near the ROK island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast after an unexplained explosion, killing 46 sailors.

The DPRK has denied its involvement in the incident, according to ROK media.

Xinhua - Associated Press

(China Daily 05/20/2010 page12)