코리아헤럴드

Amid persistent speculations over North Korea`s possible role in the sinking of a naval patrol ship, the Defense Ministry yesterday reiterated that there were no unusual North Korean activities detected at the time of the disaster on Friday last week.

"With regard to this case, no particular activities by North Korean submarines or semi-submarines (moving southward before the sinking) have been verified. I am saying again that there were no activities that could be directly linked to (the sinking of the ship)," Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said during a press briefing.

His remarks came after a news report that the 1,200-ton Cheonan carrying 104 crewmembers was deployed to the scene near the western inter-Korean maritime border in response to several semi-submarines moving toward the south.

Some have raised the possibility that a North Korean submarine laid an underwater mine or fired a torpedo targeting the Cheonan, which officials said was torn into two following an unverified explosion.

In response to growing suspicions over why another naval ship, which was patrolling 49 kilometers away from the scene of the incident, opened fire at an "unidentified object" without rescuing sailors of the sinking Cheonan, the ministry said that it initially thought that an enemy vessel was fleeing after an attack.

"After the Cheoan case occurred, the Navy raised its vigilance posture and deployed the corvette Sokcho toward the Northern Limit Line. ... After firing warning shots, the ship fired shots to destroy the object for five minutes from 11 p.m.," the ministry said.

The ministry concluded that the object on its radar was a flock of birds as it was separated into two and came together twice, and disappeared on land. It also said that its Electric Optics Tracking System could not find any ripples, which are usually created when a ship moves forward at a fast pace.

Restating that it leaves open all possibilities for the cause of the sinking, including North Korea`s involvement, the ministry said that it will ascertain the cause "scientifically and objectively" with a special survey team.

The military has sent to the scene a survey team consisting of 82 military and civilian experts specializing in maritime weaponry, explosives and vessels.

Both Seoul and Washington have presented a cautious stance regarding the possibility of the North implicated in the disaster at a time when they seek to revive the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the communist state.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Defense Department said the cause of the sinking remains "unclear," stressing that more analysis is needed to determine exactly what caused the incident.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in a regular press briefing that theories that the explosion was caused by a North Korean attack or a floating mine placed by the North cannot be analyzed while the "boat in question" is still submerged.

After the video image - taken by the maritime police when the soldiers were being rescued - was released Tuesday, some have claimed that the ship must have been on a regular patrol and crewmembers were not on alert considering that the majority of the rescued were not in combat dress.

The ministry again changed the time when the incident occurred to around 9:20 p.m., saying that the exact time will be confirmed after the result by the survey team comes in. It initially said that the incident occurred at 9:45 p.m. and changed the time to 9:30 p.m. and then to 9:25 p.m.

"In the military`s situational report, we put more stress on promptness rather than on accuracy, so there will be some errors," said the ministry.

The search operations yesterday were again hampered by high waves and strong winds.

Divers have been battling strong currents, high water pressure, low temperatures and poor visibility.

Fifty-eight have been rescued. The majority of the 46 unaccounted-for sailors are believed to be trapped in the stern of the splintered ship.

Divers have found access doors to both the forward and aft parts of the ship and were trying to make safe passages for searchers to reach the compartments. To help possible survivors breathe, divers have begun injecting air into cracks in the hull.

Currently, two divers work as a team and go underwater holding tightly to what they call "life ropes" connected to the sunken hull. Due to strong water pressure and currents, even seasoned divers cannot stay conscious deep underwater for more than 20 minutes, officials explained.

The military plans to begin preparing for the operation to salvage the ship next week, and it is considering conducting the search and savaging the ship at the same time.

Military authorities estimate the salvage operations could take more than a month, given that it took 17 days to salvage the 130-ton navy ship that sank after the deadly naval skirmish between the two Koreas in 2002.

The sinking occurred near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border with the North. Naval skirmishes between the two Koreas occurred in 1999, 2002 and last year near the NLL. The North does not recognize the NLL as it was unilaterally drawn by the U.S.-led U.N. command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

(sshluck@heraldm.com)

By Song Sang-ho