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| A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea's Baeknyeong Island, close to DPRK, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Chances seem low that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is involved in its warship sinking, said South Korean officials at the presidential office on Saturday.
"It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related," a senior official told Yonhap on condition of anonymity.
"Given the investigations by government ministries so far, it is the government's judgment that the incident was not caused by North Korea, although the reason for the accident has not been determined yet," a senior government official was quoted.
"An unidentified reason caused a hole in the ship, which led to its sinking. Rescue efforts are under way," the Defense Ministry said.
"The ship fired a warning shot at an unidentified object, and the object was later suspected to have been a flock of birds. But we are checking," it said.
Cheong Wa Dae said that there has been no "unusual move" by Pyongyang so far despite initial media reports that the DPRK "might be to blame for the incident" that happened Friday night near the disputed western sea border between the two sides.
Initial media reports said the incident might be caused by a possible torpedo attack from an unidentified DPRK vessel, citing military sources.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has not responded to the incident.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called an emergency security meeting and ordered a "quick and thorough" investigation Saturday into the caused of the sinking, and investigators are asked to keep in mind "all possibilities", his office said.
He also urged the military to make "all-out efforts" to rescue as many survivors as possible.
He had instructed his government to update other members of the six-party nuclear talks with the development of the incident, while urging government agencies to take measures to reassure the public, Presidential Office spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after the meeting.
