UNSC to address warship sinking issue this week

The U.N. Security Council is expected to launch official discussions this week to take up North Korea's alleged sinking of a South Korean warship in March, a diplomatic source said Sunday.

The North is accused of sinking the 1,200-ton South Korean corvette and killing 46 seamen on March 26 near the Yellow Sea border with South Korea. Seoul has formally requested the UNSC discuss ways to hold Pyongyang to account, citing a multinational investigation that concluded the ship was torpedoed.

The discussion will come after a multinational team of investigators brief the UNSC members on the outcome of their probe, which found North Korea responsible, at the headquarters of the United Nations on Monday.

Claude Heller, Mexican Ambassador to the United Nations who is the rotating president of the 15-member council, will chair a closed-door meeting with all council members following the briefing, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The source said, "Starting this week, the UNSC will set out an official procedure to discuss the issue in a closed-door manner," while it plans to have a consultation to discuss the issue with its major members.