Park says 'Never again' on Cheonan sinking anniversary

President Park Geun-hye leaves a memorial altar at the Daejeon National Ceremony, Thursday, after paying tribute to the 46 sailors who died during the 2010 sinking of the frigate Cheonan in a North Korean torpedo attack on March 26, 2010. / Yonhap

Nation marks 5th anniversary of Cheonan sinking by NK attack

By Kang Seung-woo

President Park Geun-hye ordered the military, Thursday, to never allow North Korea to repeat an attack similar to the torpedoing of the ROK Navy frigate Cheonan in 2010.

“The government should strengthen the nation’s defensive capacity, and maintain war deterrence based on the ROK-U.S. alliance, to prevent another tragedy like the sinking of the frigate Cheonan from occurring,” the commander-in-chief said during a ceremony at the Daejeon National Cemetery to mark the fifth anniversary of the attack. The event was attended by some 5,000 people, including top government officials, rival party leaders and lawmakers, relatives of the victims and surviving crewmembers.

On March 26, 2010, a North Korean submarine sank the naval ship off the west coast near the border Island of Baengnyeong, killing 46 sailors.

Seoul concluded that the attack was carried out by Pyongyang after a joint investigation with experts from multiple countries, but the reclusive state has denied responsibility for the sinking.

“The military should prevent possible provocations in advance and in case of unexpected provocative actions, it should be ready to fight and defeat them on any given day,” Park said.

Her remarks came after the Kim Jong-un regime has issued a steady stream of threats in response to the ROK-U.S. joint military exercises. On March 2 — the first day of the exercises — the North tested two short-range missiles off its east coast.

Also, President Park urged the repressive state to abandon its nuclear weapons program to pave the way for Korean unification.

“Only when North Korea gives up its isolation and stagnation, and heads for the road to true change will we be able to build a new Korean Peninsula,” she said.

This year commemorates the 70th anniversary of the division of the Korean Peninsula as well as that of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule.

“The establishment of a unified country, where both South and North Koreans are happy, is what patriotic martyrs would hope to see and how we honor the sacrifices of the Cheonan’s sailors,” the President said.

Park, who has promoted her “unification bonanza” initiative, added that the country should prepare for unification step by step although it will not happen overnight, citing the remarks of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun that stressed a far-sighted vision.

In the wake of snowballing corruption scandals in the defense industry, Park vowed to eradicate wrongdoings.

“Such misdeeds are a shame to the fallen heroes of the Cheonan,“ she said.

“I will try my best to leave no room for corruption like the Tongyeong scandal in the sector.“

The Tongyeong, the nation’s first indigenous rescue ship, was fraught with problems which in part were caused by a number of military officers suspected of taking bribes from a local firm that supplied faulty parts for the ship. The drawbacks prevented the ship from being deployed for a rescue operation during the April 16 Sewol ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people.

Along with the ceremony in Daejeon, events marking the anniversary took place across the nation.

In Busan, more than 3,000 students and citizens gathered at Busan Station Square to honor the fallen soldiers.

Each unit of the Navy also held ceremonies to pay tribute to them, while Navy headquarters staff visited the memorial on the island of Baengnyeong and held a memorial service at sea.