 President Lee Myung-bak wipes away tears after delivering an address to the nation during which he read aloud the names of the dead sailors from the sunken Naval frigate Cheonan, Monday. / Korea Times Photo by Sohn Yong-seok |
President Plans Stern Steps After Cause of Ship Sinking Revealed
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak indicated Monday that he would conduct a sweeping reshuffle of top military personnel, saying the recent sinking of the Navy patrol ship Cheonan showed why the country needs a stronger military.
In an eight-minute address to the nation, broadcast live through major television networks, he reaffirmed that he would take stern countermeasures once investigators reveal the exact cause of the sinking, which claimed the lives of 38 sailors and left eight others missing in one of the country's biggest naval disasters.
"What we have to do now is to get to the bottom of the case," Lee said. "I will deal resolutely with the results and make sure such an incident does not occur again.
"A strong military is made not only by powerful weapons but also by strong spirit. What we need now is a strong spirit above all. I will make our military stronger."
As he read aloud the names of each dead sailor, he shivered and became tearful at one moment.
Lee's aides said once the cause is found, the President will speak to the nation again in the form of a special address.
"In the planned address, Lee will express his resolve on national security as the commander-in-chief of the military and may announce measures to enhance the country's risk management system," said Lee Dong-kwan, the senior presidential secretary for public relations.
The comments came as a joint investigation team, including experts from the United States, Australia and Sweden, is looking into what caused the Cheonan to sink. Following an initial examination last week, the military said an external blast was the most likely cause of the naval disaster, suggesting the possibility of North Korean involvement.
The military came under fire for late responses to the incident.
During a question-and-answer session at the National Assembly last week, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young admitted loopholes in the reporting system, saying he was informed of the ship sinking at 10:14 p.m., about one hour after the disaster took place in the West Sea on March 26.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported the sinking to President Lee Myung-bak at 9:51 p.m., but JCS Chairman Gen. Lee Sang-eui, who was on a train at the time, was informed at 10:11 p.m.
President Lee has invited ruling and opposition party leaders for talks this week, the first such meeting since April last year when North Korea fired a long-range rocket.
Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the ruling Grand National Party; Chung Sye-kyun of the main opposition Democratic Party; and Lee Hoi-chang of the Liberty Forward Party are expected to attend the meeting slated for today at Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee is expected to call for bipartisan cooperation in handling the aftermath of the sinking and urge politicians not to exploit the incident ahead of the June 2 local elections, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
He will also meet his predecessors, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo; religious leaders; and military veterans later this week to listen to their opinions on how to handle the disaster.
이대통령, 군 대대적 물갈이 암시
이명박 대통령이 19일 천안함 침몰 사고는 강력한 군대의 필요성을 나타낸다고 언급하면서 군 주요 인사에 대한 대대적인 물갈이를 암시했다.
그는 8분간의 연설에서 38명이 사망하고 8명의 장병들이 실종된 이번 사건에 대한 정확한 원인을 규명해야 한다고 강조했다,
이어 이 대통령은 "강한 군대는 강한 무기뿐만 아니라 강한 정신력에서 오는 것입니다. 지금 우리에게 필요한 것은 그 무엇보다 강한 정신력입니다" 라고 말했다.
또한 청와대에서는 이 대통령은 침몰 사건 이후 후폭풍에 대한 해결을 위해 여야의 단합을 요청하고 정치인들에게 6월2일 지방선거에서 이 사건을 악용하지 말 것을 촉구하고 있다고 전했다.
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