By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Chances are slim that North Korea was involved in the incident that saw a South Korean Navy patrol ship sink in waters near the western sea border Friday, a ranking government official said Sunday.
The official said on condition of anonymity that "it's hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to
be slim," according to Yonhap News Agency.
At the same time, however, the government is expected to take a wait-and-see stance until it has a close look at the sunken vessel.
Salvaging the vessel may take up to one month, according to defense experts.
The U.S. State Department has also ruled out the possibility, saying that no evidence has been found to prove a North Korean pre-emptive attack on the vessel.
Unlike in 2002 when North Korea made a public announcement over the clash of ships near the West Sea border, this time, it has not made a statement of any kind.
Over the weekend, nothing out of the ordinary seems to have happened in North Korea.
On Sunday, the North completed the fourth-day of inspections of South Korean assets at the Mt. Geumgang resort, amid fears it may seize them if the South refuses to resume cross-border tours, Yonhap reported.
Earlier, the North threatened to take extraordinary steps unless the South agrees to resume the lucrative tours to Mt. Geumgang by April 1.
Hyundai Asan and South Korean investors in the inter-Korean tourism project have been participating in the joint inspection of South Korean assets in the resort.
Mt. Geumgang tours have been suspended for a year and eight months since a South Korean tourist was shot dead near the resort.
The South has demanded that Pyongyang provide Seoul with a full explanation regarding the killing of the tourist in July 2008, and promise that there will be no recurrence.
In addition, the ministry urged Pyongyang to come up with specific safety measures.
Kim Yong-nam, the North's ceremonial head of state, left Pyongyang Sunday to visit African nations, including Gambia and Senegal, a report said.
Some are still arguing over the North's involvement due to the manner the vessel was destroyed.
Following an unidentified explosion, the ship, named Cheonan, carrying 104 crew members was split in half, which, according to defense experts, is only possible following a strike from the outside.
skim@koreatimes.co.kr
![[INTERVIEW] Leandro Erlich's questioning of our perception of reality carries new meaning in pandemic](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/4e0bfee487254348a54493b1502067fa.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
