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Staff Reporter
South Korea plans to ask the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) here to help find the exact cause of the sinking of a warship near the border with North Korea in the West Sea late last month, President Lee Myung-bak said Wednesday.
The move came as the country's military is seeking to form a joint investigation team including experts from the United States, Britain and France to look into the naval disaster.
``We should find scientific evidence so that no one can deny the credibility of the investigation,'' Lee said during a luncheon with members of the Korean Senior Citizens Association at Cheong Wa Dae.
``To ensure a thorough examination, we will seek cooperation from advanced nations and international organizations, including the United Nations. Based on the probe, we will take stern countermeasures.''
Lee urged the society to wait for the result of the investigation patiently, saying the international community is also paying keen attention to the situation here as the naval disaster took place where three bloody inter-Korean skirmishes occurred in 1999, 2002 and 2009.
``We should rule out any political considerations in determining the cause. All the work should be done thoroughly and scientifically,'' the President said.
Lee has repeatedly warned that it's risky to speculate over what caused the 1,200-ton frigate Cheonan to sink on March 26 until the military secures hard evidence.
The U.S. has said it has no evidence showing North Korea's involvement, but some local media have raised speculation that a torpedo from a North Korean midget submarine or a mine laid by the communist state could have hit the patrol ship.
Some experts have also alleged that the ship, built in 1989 by a now-defunct South Korean shipbuilder, was too old and damaged to conduct missions and needed repairs. Some family members of missing sailors said they had heard about water leakages in the ship many times before. The military has denied this claim.
South Korea has already requested help from U.S. experts in probing the ship sinking.
U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Walter Sharp said that Seoul and Washington will ``work very closely together to ensure that the current operations are completed.''
Lee has stressed that the probe is not just a domestic issue, but a matter related to the country's international credibility.
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