The nation bade farewell to the 46 victims of its worst peacetime naval disaster Thursday, 34 days after a warship sank due to an explosion. The remains of the killed sailors were laid to rest at the Daejeon National Cemetery. May their noble souls rest in peace! The funeral just ended, but it is not the end. How can we forget the seamen who perished devoting themselves to the defense of the country?
They have gone, but they will live in the hearts of the people forever. The incident has just left an indelible mark in the history of South Korea. And the deceased should be remembered for serving the nation to protect our freedom and democracy from our enemies. The tragedy reminds us of how important national defense and security is to our daily lives. We can no longer take it for granted that peace is achieved for nothing.
Now, it's time to join efforts to ensure the sailors' sacrifice will make a big difference in the nation's defense system. It is necessary to shed light on what went wrong with the ill-fated frigate Cheonan and the Navy's preparedness. And then, let's draw a lesson from the incident to avoid a repetition. Failing to do so will only ruin our future. Should we let history repeat itself or change course for a better future? The answer depends on how to reflect on past mistakes and to transform our defense system to better cope with any external threats.
It goes without saying that the first thing is to find the exact cause of the mysterious explosion that broke the 1,200-ton vessel in two before it sank near the Yellow Sea border with North Korea on March 26. The nation should pass the test of its ability to unveil what triggered the blast and who was behind it. The test is for the second line of defense as it may allow the authorities to take stern action against those found responsible for the incident.
Moreover, the nation is required to take a more fundamental approach to overhaul its naval defense postures as well as its entire defense and security system. Criticism is mounting that the military had failed to conduct speedy search and rescue operations, not to mention its failure to avoid the sinking of the ship. It has also been slammed for poor handling of the incident without a firmly established chain of command to bring the crisis situation under control.
In this context, the disaster should be turned into an opportunity to initiate a military and defense reform aimed at setting up a tighter security network to thwart any infiltration attempts. The South is still technically at war with the North as the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice but without a peace treaty. How much more of a price will the nation have to pay for peace on the peninsula? Let's try to find an answer.