Cheonan on Routine Mission Before Sinking

Body of Second Sailor Retrieved

By Jung Sung-ki

Staff Reporter

Survivors from the sunken frigate said Wednesday that the ship was operating normally before an unidentified explosion tore the hull open.

Some stated they had heard two loud explosions and immediately felt the ship tilt about 90 degrees to starboard. Other said they hadn't seen a column of water at that time.

The 1,200-ton Cheonan was sailing in waters off Baengnyeong Island near the western sea border on a routine mission before the blast occurred at 9:22 p.m. on March 26, investigators and survivors said at a press conference at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

Dozens of sailors made their first public appearance since the naval disaster. Fifty-eight sailors, including the captain, Cmdr. Choi Won-il, were rescued. Two sailors have been found dead since last Saturday, while 44 others remain "missing in action."

"I'm curious myself about what caused the explosion. I knew the area like the back of my hand and was still unable to detect any unusual symptoms (before the blast)," said Cmdr. Choi. "I have not given up hope, I'm still waiting for the rest of my sailors to report their return."

Senior Chief Petty Officer Oh Seong-tak said he had been in a compartment two decks below sea level and felt his body lifted up in the air after a "booming" sound.

"The electricity failed after an ear-splitting explosion," Oh told reporters. "The ship immediately tilted about 90 degrees."

He said there had been no smell of gunpowder, raising doubts about an onboard explosion or blast from outside.

Petty Officer 1st Class Hong Seung-hyeon, who was in charge of the ship's sonar, said he hadn't detected any unusual signals before the explosion.

As to the possibility of the ship having been wrecked on a rock, Senior Chief Petty Officer Kim Byung-nam, the helmsman, said that it was unlikely.

"If a ship is wrecked on a rock or stranded on a sandbank, the sound made is like a piercing shriek," Kim said. "So I'm guessing the incident occurred because of an outside impact."

Some of the survivors still looked nervous.

Dr. Yoon Han-doo, director of the military hospital, said some of the survivors are still suffering from the effects of shock with symptoms such as insomnia, a sense of guilt, nightmares or memory loss.

As part of efforts to conduct a scientific and objective investigation, the military plans to seek assistance from experts in the United States, the United Nations, Britain and Australia.

A joint investigation team involving military and civil experts confirmed the timing of the ship sinking at 9:22 p.m., rebutting some local news reports that the incident might have happened around 9:16 p.m., eight minutes earlier than announced by the Ministry of National Defense.

Divers retrieved the body of one more missing sailor from the stern of the sunken Cheonan Wednesday afternoon, the Ministry of National Defense said.

It was the second body to be found since the 1,200-ton ship was blasted apart in waters off the sea border with North Korea.

Civilian divers found the body of Senior Chief Petty Officer Kim Tae-seok, 37, at around 4 p.m. when they were conducting preparatory work for salvaging the rear part of the vessel, ministry officials said.

Divers from the Navy's Ship Salvage Unit later took charge of recovering the body, they added.

They have raised the suspicion that the military response might have been lagging, and say the authorities could try to conceal the actual timeline of the incident.

Some people have even suggested that the frigate could have been on a clandestine mission against North Korea.

'침몰 전 천안호 정상 임무 중'

침몰한 초계함 천안호 생존자들은 수요일 미확인 폭발로 두동강 나기 전 이 함정은 정상적으로 임무를 수행 중에 있었다고 밝혔다.

일부 생존자들은 두 번의 폭발음을 들었으며 이어 즉시 배가 우현이 대략 90도로 기울어지는 것을 느꼈다고 말했다.

조사반과 생존자들은 성남 국군 수도병원에서 가진 기자회견에서 1,200톤 급 천암암은 3월 26일 오후 9시 22분 폭발하기 전 서해 접경 백령도 앞 해상에서 정규 임무를 띠고 항해 중 이었다고 밝혔다.

수십명의 생존 승조원들은 함정 침몰 사건 이후 처음으로 공개석상에 나타나났다. 최원일 함장을 포함 58명의 승조원들은 침몰 직전 구조됐다. 1명은 지난 토요일 사망 상태로 인양됐고 남어지 45명은 아직 "실종상태"다.

최함장은 "왜 폭발이 생겼는지 스스로 의아스럽습니다. 내 손등처럼 그곳 해역을 잘 알고 있었는데 (폭발 직전) 아무런 이상 징후를 감지할 수 없었다"며 "희망을 잃지 않았읍니다. 아직도 남어지 수병들의 귀환 보고를 기다리고 있습니다"라고 말했다.