By Kim Se-jeong
Staff reporter
The military plans to hold a disciplinary committee meeting late this month to censure 25 officers found responsible for mishandling the sinking of the naval vessel Cheonan in March, an official said Sunday.
Of the accused, following an investigation conducted by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), two have already stepped down, including Lee Sang-eui, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Some of those subject to disciplinary measures could be punished under the Military Criminal Law for negligence and false reporting, a military source was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.
The BAI began to hold interviews as part of efforts to estimate the extent each of the accused officers deserves to be punished, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The BAI inquiry was initiated at the request of the Ministry of National Defense.
A multinational probe concluded in May that North Korea sank the 1,200-ton Cheonan in a torpedo attack in the West Sea on March 26. The incident claimed the lives of 46 South Korean sailors.
"As soon as the interviews are over, the disciplinary committee will open to reprimand 25 senior military officers who are accused of mishandling the ship sinking," the official said.