By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Report
Part of the stern of the sunken frigate Cheonan was raised Monday, 17 days after the ship sank in the West Sea (Yellow Sea).
The superstructure of the wreckage was clearly visible as it was being moved closer to Baengnyeong Island near the sea border with North Korea to prevent it from being damaged by high seas and strong currents in the coming days.
Two metal chains had been successfully looped under the stern portion, where 44 missing sailors are believed to have been trapped, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said.
One more chain is required to be connected to hoist the wreckage out of the water completely, they said.
``A high seas watch is expected to be issued Monday night, so we've decided to move the stern 4.6 kilometers toward the island,'' Rear Adm. Lee Ki-shik of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Military divers have been battling strong currents in the western waters for more than a week to hoist up the two sections of the 1,200-ton frigate Cheonan which was torn apart by a mysterious explosion on March 26. Of its 104 crewmembers, two have been found dead while 44 remain missing ― 58 were rescued.
The ship sank southwest of the island, the closest South Korean territory to North Korea's west coast, which is lined with short-range missile launchers and long-range artillery.
``Divers also plan to cover the ship's open hull with a net to preserve what is inside intact,'' Lee said.
The ill-fated warship blew apart near the tense sea border with North Korea, the scene of three bloody naval skirmishes in previous years, spawning speculation of an attack by the communist nation.
Both Seoul and Washington have been cautious about raising such a possibility, however, with President Lee Myung-bak instructing investigators to be ``open to all potential causes.''
North Korea's state media outlets have been silent on the incident.
After days of unsuccessful rescue operations, military divers shifted efforts to linking chains and salvaging the hull of the sunken vessel for an investigation on the surface.
Experts and officials have mentioned a torpedo as one of several possible causes, as well as floating sea mines, an internal explosion, ``metal fatigue'' or a collision with a rock.
Survivors say a powerful blast knocked over the ship and that they smelled gas, with the stern of the vessel sinking in less than a minute later.