DPRK holds 1st press briefing on 'Cheonan' incident
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The military of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held its first press briefing Friday on the "Cheonan" incident, warning South Korea not to provoke it.
Pak Rim Su, head of the Policy Bureau of the DPRK's National Defense Commission (NDC), told the briefing that investigation results released by South Korea on the incident could not be "objective and fair" due to the composition of the investigation team.
On March 26, South Korean warship "Cheonan" sank near the maritime border with the DPRK after an explosion, killing 46 sailors. On May 20, South Korea announced that based on results of an investigation led by a multi-national team including South Korean, U.S., British and Australian members, the warship was sunk by a DPRK torpedo attack.
But Pak said that since the United States is still in "a state of war" with the DPRK, and that Britain and Australia had taken part in the Korean War, results of the investigation could not be creditable.
He also said civilian members of the team had only limited access to the main work of the investigation and some investigators who expressed different opinions were even driven out of the team.
Pak said that there are a lot of contradictions in South Korea's claim over the time, spot and witnesses of the incident. Videos were also played at the briefing to challenge evidence provided by South Korea.
Pak even said South Korean authorities faked the investigation results to serve multiple objectives, including proving the correctness of its anti-DPRK policy, keeping the presence of U.S. forces in South Korea and diverting the responsibility of the sinking of the warship.
He said the DPRK will defend itself if South Korean authorities "dare to launch provocation."
It was not the first time that the DPRK denied investigation results issued by South Korea on the incident. On May 20, the NDC rejected South Korea's claim in a statement, and indicated that the DPRK is willing to send a team to South Korea to verify material evidence. But that proposal was rejected by Seoul.
On Monday, South Korea halted trade with the DPRK, banning merchant ships of the DPRK from entering South Korean waters, and suspending its humanitarian aid for DPRK children.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed that his country would resort to measures of self-defense in case of "further military provocation" by the DPRK and called for sanctions against Pyongyang.
