By Na Jeong-ju
Staff reporter
South Korea has asked China to send a team of naval inspectors to Seoul to conduct its own investigation into the sinking of the Navy vessel Cheonan, but there has been no response yet, diplomatic sources here said Tuesday.
"We told the Chinese days ago that we were ready to cooperate with its own probe, but are still not getting an answer," a source said on condition of anonymity. "We already shared the full results of the international investigation with China and Russia."
China reportedly proposed a joint investigation with the United States and the two Koreas before taking any punitive action against North Korea.
South Korea, following weeks of joint examinations with foreign experts, claimed the ship sank after being attacked by a torpedo from a North Korean submarine that had violated the inter-Korean sea border.
Reports said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, at a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing in early May, denied the North's involvement in the sinking.
"China has failed to respond to our request to send its own inspectors, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't want to. We are still awaiting a positive answer," another source said.
Russia dispatched a team of Navy experts to Seoul Monday and started its own inspection to verify the outcome of the South Korea-led investigation.
They plan to examine the wreckage of the sunken ship and a North Korea-made torpedo collected from the seabed as well as visit the site of the disaster, according to officials here.
The Russian team will announce a report on the incident next month.
Russia said it will clarify its position on Seoul's plan to refer Pyongyang to the U.N. Security Council for sanctions after completing their own probe.