hankyoreh

The Patrol Combat Corvette (PCC) Cheonan, with 104 crew members on board, sank in the waters off Baengyeong Island, a West Coast island, with 46 crew members now missing. In the end, it is a major tragedy that should not have taken place. The government and military must do everything in their power for the search and rescue operation until all are found, under the presumption that the missing are still alive.

Locating the missing crew members is the first priority, but another significant task is finding out why this incident happened. So far, from a circumstantial point of view, it does not appear that it occurred due to a North Korean attack. This is a fortune amidst a great deal of misfortunate. It is horrible to even contemplate the way in which the situation might escalate if it were determined that the sinking occurred due to an intentional North Korean attack. This is particularly the case since the place where PCC sank is located near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) and inter-Korean relations continue to deteriorate. The government, which since the beginning has been careful regarding the possibility of North Korean involvement, has from the very outset issued a very appropriate response.

In order to figure out the cause of this tragedy, it is necessary to first determine where the explosion took place on the ship. If it occurred internally, the cause could be poor maintenance or a sudden accident, but if the explosion was external, unexploded ordinance, mines or undersea rocks could have been at play. Faults in the PCC itself could have added to these causes, leading to a massive explosion. Many citizens are doubtful as to the military’s explanation that 50 percent of the 88 meter-long boat sunk in just 20 minutes. The government and military authorities have a responsibility to uncover the cause in a swift but thorough fashion.

Regardless of how the PCC sank, nothing will change the fact that an event that should not have been happened took place. Outside of sudden firefights, there is nothing that cannot be prepared for. However, if this took place as a result of the placid attitude of our military, it is very disappointing. Prior to this accident, two Air Force F-5 fighters and an Army MD 500 attack helicopter recently crashed. No citizen is comfortable watching tragedies befall all three of the military services.

Following the accident, security-related ministerial meetings led by the president have been held several times, but they have disclosed almost no information to the people. The government and military must not cover up or distort the truth for security or political reasons. Of course, the acceptance of appropriate responsibility must follow as soon as the rescue operation and search for the cause are completed. The people’s trust in the military and government greatly depends on the way in which this matter is handled.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]