South Korea officially blames North Korea for attack

After more than two months of investigation and diplomatic outreach, the South Korean government formally blamed North Korea at the United Nations for torpedoing the naval ship, Cheonan. In its official letter to the U.N. Security Council, South Korea asked the council to take "appropriate" but unspecified action. Seoul stopped short of introducing a resolution ...

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After more than two months of investigation and diplomatic outreach, the South Korean government formally blamed North Korea at the United Nations for torpedoing the naval ship, Cheonan. In its official letter to the U.N. Security Council, South Korea asked the council to take "appropriate" but unspecified action.

After more than two months of investigation and diplomatic outreach, the South Korean government formally blamed North Korea at the United Nations for torpedoing the naval ship, Cheonan. In its official letter to the U.N. Security Council, South Korea asked the council to take "appropriate" but unspecified action.

Seoul stopped short of introducing a resolution condemning North Korea’s alleged attack or calling for the imposition of sanctions against its northern neighbor. That cautious approach reflects concern that China, North Korea’s closest backer on the council, will not approve any tough measures against Pyongyang.

The letter, written by South Korea’s U.N. ambassador Park In-kook and addressed to the Security Council’s president, Claude Heller of Mexico, takes note of the March 26 attack on the 1,200 ton Korean ship, which killed more than 40 South Korean seamen. It says that an investigation, conducted with the participation of experts from the Australia, Britain, South Korea, Sweden and the United States, determined the Cheonan was sunken by a North Korean-made torpedo. It also cites addition evidence that "overwhelmingly" demonstrates the attack was carried out by a North Korean submarine.

"The armed attack by North Korea against the ROK [The Republic of Korea] Navy ship is a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations," the letter states. "My government requests that the Security Council duly consider this matter and respond in a manner appropriate to the gravity of North Korea’s military provocation in order to deter recurrence of a further provocation by North Korea."

Read the entire letter.

Follow me on Twitter @columlynch.

Colum Lynch was a staff writer at Foreign Policy between 2010 and 2022. Twitter: @columlynch

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