 President Lee Myung-bak salutes to the 46 fallen soldiers of the frigate Cheonan during a joint funeral held at the headquarters of the 2nd Navy Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. / Korea Times Photo by Sohn Yong-seok |
Nation Bids Farewell to Fallen Heroes
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
Tears were shed and requiems were held nationwide Thursday in conjunction with the funeral for 46 sailors killed in last month's sinking of the Navy vessel Cheonan, which took place at a naval base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
President Lee Myung-bak, first lady Kim Yoon-ok and the bereaved families of the deceased heroes were among the 2,800 mourners who gathered for the funeral at the headquarters of the 2nd Navy Fleet, which was broadcast live on major television networks.
National flags were hung at half-mast at government offices across the country and the nation observed a minute of silence when a siren blew at 10 a.m. The sailors were buried at the National Cemetery in Daejeon.
"We will remember you forever," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Sung-chan, chairman of the funeral committee, said in a memorial address. "I promise you we will get to the bottom of the tragedy and bring those responsible to justice without fail."
President Lee placed the Hwarang Order of Military Merit, a state medal awarded to patriotic service members, in front of each of the portraits of the deceased soldiers on a huge, chrysanthemum-laden altar, as family members sobbed.
Tens of thousands of citizens also paid homage to the sailors at memorial altars across the nation.
"Such a tragedy should never happen again. I feel like they are my sons," said Choi Yoon-goo, a 65-year-old Daejeon resident who came up to Pyeongtaek early in the morning to see the passage of the funeral cortege. "I have a son now serving in the infantry. They remind me of him."
The 1,200-ton Cheonan sank on March 26 during a routine patrol mission near the West Sea border with North Korea.
From the crew of 104, 58 were rescued, 40 bodies were recovered and six are listed as missing.
The exact cause of the sinking is still unknown, but the South Korean military, following an initial inspection of the salvaged stern, have claimed a close-range, underwater blast broke the ship in two, suggesting a torpedo attack by North Korea or a mine.
CNN also reported a similar view from a U.S. military officer Monday. North Korea has claimed it had nothing to do with the incident.
There have also been claims that the ship was too old to conduct missions and needed an overhaul, which the military has ruled out.
No hard evidence supporting North Korean involvement has yet been found, but inter-Korean tensions are already deepening with some media outlets here calling for retaliation.
The foreign ministry said it will take the case to the United Nations and inform China and Russia of the results of the investigation if North Korea is found to have been involved.
On Friday, President Lee will fly to Shanghai to hold a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao and participate in the opening ceremony for the 2010 World Expo.
After returning from China Saturday, Lee will deliver a nationally televised address on the naval disaster early next week, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
천안함 합동영결식
천안함 '46용사'합동영결식이 가 29일 눈물과 애도 속에 경기 평택 해군2함대 사령부내 엄수됐다.
이명박 대통령과 김윤옥 여사, 유가족 등 2,800여명이 참석한 영결식은 전국에 생방송됐다. 관공서에는 조기가 걸렸고, 사람들은 오전 10시에 울린 사이렌소리에 맞춰 1분간 묵념을 올렸다. 영결식 후 천안함 용사들은 대전 현충원 국립묘지에 안장됐다.
추모사에서 장례위원장인 김성찬 해군참모총장은 장병들을 애도하고 사건에 대한 진실을 낱낱이 밝힐 것을 다짐했다.
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