Conservative Leaders Call for Military Retaliation

By Lee Tae-hoon

Staff Reporter

Leaders of two conservative political parties expressed the need for military retaliation against North Korea, Friday, if it turns out that Pyongyang was responsible for the tragic sinking of the warship Cheonan late last month in the West Sea.

"Many say South Korea will not be able to take military action, but I believe we should seriously consider it," Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), said.

The GNP leader said the decision will be unavoidable for Seoul if the alleged involvement of the communist North in the maritime disaster is confirmed.

His remarks came at a time when a growing number of experts point out that military action is not a feasible option to settle the problem, even if the cause of the incident was a hostile attack.

Lee Hoi-chang, chairman of the minor opposition Liberty Forward Party, went as far as to say that the South should immediately destroy any North Korean warship threatening or attempting to cross the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto sea border in the West Sea.

The 1,200-ton frigate Cheonan sank about 10 kilometers south of the disputed maritime border, which was also the scene of two previous deadly clashes that took place in 1999 and 2002.

Meanwhile, Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, called for an objective investigation into the cause of the sinking.

"The government and military need to gain the trust of the people by conducting an absolutely fair and transparent probe," Chung said.