Russia won’t hand over Cheonan report to S Korea

Russia will not hand over its findings on the Cheonan incident to South Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday, citing a ranking Russian government official.

“The report by Russian investigators on the sinking of the warship was prepared as a secret document for the Russian leadership. The government will not hand it over to South Korea or North Korea,” said Yonhap quoted Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexei Borodavkin as saying at a Tuesday forum in Moscow.

“Right now is not a time to determine the cause of the incident, but it is a time to find a way to lessen the tension in the East Asian region,” he said. “For that to be possible, it’s imperative for the six-party talks to resume.”

In June, Russia dispatched four investigators to South Korea, who stayed in Seoul for a week, looking into what caused the warship to sink broken into two parts.

South Korea holds North Korea responsible for the attack. North Korea has denied its involvement.