 Defense Minister |
Staff Reporter
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said Sunday that retaliation over the sinking of the Cheonan must be carried out.
Kim's remarks came on the heels of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Sung-chan's reprisal pledge made during last week's funeral for the 46 dead sailors from the mysterious sinking of the frigate on March 26.
The Navy chief said, ``We'll never forgive whoever inflicted this great pain on us. We will track them down to the end and we will, by all means, make them pay.''
``I agree with Adm. Kim,'' the defense chief told a KBS television program aired nationwide. ``After finding the cause of the incident, we should pay back those responsible for killing our sailors. That's my opinion.''
As for concerns about a vicious cycle of retaliation, the minister said, ``We'll take into account such things, but retaliation, in whatever form it takes, must be done.''
The 1,200-ton frigate went down in waters off Baengnyeong Island near the sea border with North Korea after an unexplained explosion.
A preliminary investigation said the explosion was external, fuelling suspicions of North Korea's involvement in the naval disaster.
A massive air bubble caused by a torpedo strike is referred to as the most likely cause, but investigators have yet to find evidence of an underwater blast. Fragments of any weapon have yet to be discovered.
In a parliamentary session April 30, Minister Kim revealed investigators had collected some fragments of aluminum, sparking speculation that they might have been from a torpedo.
Kim said on the television show, however, it's not certain if the pieces could be a ``smoking gun.''
He said tiny silvers of aluminum ― three millimeters in size ― had been collected from where the ship sank and examined to see if they were from weapons used to destroy the ship or if they belonged to the sunken vessel.
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