By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
The United Nations will likely forbid South Korea from taking military action against North Korea, even if investigators conclude that Pyongyang orchestrated the tragic sinking of the Navy frigate Cheonan.
The U.N. charter outlaws the use of force unless it has been explicitly authorized by the Security Council or in the case of self-defense against an armed attack.
Experts say chances are slim that China and Russia, two of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council will approve any type of military retaliation against their neighboring ``ally,'' North Korea.
They also point out that it is unprecedented for the South to use force to punish the North in response to ``terrorist attacks'' due to international pressure and fears of triggering a war.
In 1967, a South Korean naval patrol boat was attacked and sunk by North Korean coastal guns in the East Sea. Then-President Park Chung-hee called for military retaliation, but relented at the request of the United States.
In the following year, 31 North Korean commandos killed seven South Koreans after infiltrating into Seoul in an attempt to assassinate President Park.
Park pushed for military retaliation, but again Washington, which was preoccupied with the Vietnam War, called for a peaceful resolution.
To ease Park's anger, the United States reportedly offered South Korea $100 million worth of the latest weapons, including M16 rifles and combat planes.
In 1983, North Korean agents attempted to assassinate then-President Chun Doo-hwan in Myanmar, taking the lives of 17 South Korean officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Suh Suk-joon.
Chun reportedly planned to dispatch 30 South Korean special forces troops using paragliders to destroy Kim Il-sung's residence and kill the North Korean leader.
However, he reportedly gave up the assassination attempt after the United States expressed its opposition.
In 1987, two North Korean terrorists left a bomb in the passenger cabin of a South Korean airplane, killing all of its 115 passengers on board.
Despite the public outrage, the South refrained from taking military action, having only one year left before the 1988 Olympic Games, which took place in Seoul.
Some say imposing further international sanctions should be considered, rather than mulling military action as the latter would eventually bring about a full-scale war on the Korean Peninsula.
Observers, however, say this might not be an effective measure, as numerous international sanctions have already been imposed against the communist North.
``If the issue is brought to the U.N., it will be difficult to push for any further punishment against the North,'' an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on condition of anonymity.
Some claim that the case should be brought to the international court, though the North will mostly likely refuse to participate.
``The public wants to see strong action against those responsible for the incident, but it will not be easy to seek a solution,'' the official said.
He added that the government should rather focus on preventing a recurrence.