The defense ministry added "groundless guesswork can negatively affect the response and follow-up measures," urging the South Korean people and the media to be patient and wait until the investigation team makes an official announcement.
"The Ministry of National Defense is fully devoted to clearly identifying the cause behind the sinking of the 'Cheonan' as quickly as possible. The multi-national joint civilian-military investigation team, comprised of top Korean and foreign experts, is doing its best to gather evidence and conduct a scientific analysis," it said.
The multi-national joint civilian-military investigation team, consisting of about two dozen experts from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Sweden, have been working with South Korean experts to identify the exact cause behind the explosion of the naval warship "Cheonan."
The 1,200-ton Navy frigate "Cheonan," with 104 crew members onboard, went down on March 26 near the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast due to an unexplained explosion that split it in two, killing 46 sailors.
