Backgrounder: Timeline of South Korean warship sinking
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| 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 File Photo) |
PYONGYANG, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Friday it was unrelated to the sinking of the South Korean warship "Cheonan" in March, urging Seoul to receive inspectors from the DPRK.
Pak Rim Su, head of the policy bureau of the National Defense Commission (NDC) of the DPRK, told a news conference that whether South Korea received the DPRK inspection group was the key to judging the "Cheonan" incident.
It was the first time that the DPRK authority gave a press briefing over the sinking of the "Cheonan" after it happened two months ago.
If the investigation results of South Korea were "just and honest," it should receive the DPRK inspection group, Pak said, stressing that the investigation should be objective and fair.
A senior DPRK military official showed simulated slides of the occurrence of the "Cheonan" incident at the press briefing, clearing any DPRK implication to the sinking.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have flared after the "Cheonan," a 1,200-ton warship with 104 crew members on board, sank on March 26 after an explosion, killing 46 sailors.
South Korea released the results of its investigation on May 20, accusing the DPRK of sinking the "Cheonan" in a torpedo attack. However, the DPRK firmly denied the charges and insisted on sending its own inspectors to verify the evidence.
