The Mystery of the South Korean Corvette

In Seoul, the results of the work of the commission to investigate the causes of the death of 26 in March in the Yellow Sea of ​​the South Korean corvette Cheonan were published. The report of the commission, which, in addition to the South Korean military, included some experts from the United States, Australia, Canada, Great Britain and Sweden, argues that the evidence gathered “almost unambiguously confirms that the sinking of“ Cheonan ”occurred as a result of an external underwater explosion caused by a torpedo attack of a North Korean submarine ".

Let us leave on the commission’s conscience the vague wording "almost unequivocally" (overwelmingly - in the English version of the text). According to the investigation, the main evidence of the involvement of the DPRK in the tragedy should be a fragment of a torpedo screw found almost in the last days, on which the marking in the North Korean style was found, namely the designation “No. XXUM”, made in Korean language. It is argued that these designations, as well as the analysis of the fragments found, fully comply with the characteristics of the torpedo found 1 years ago off the coast of the Yellow Sea.

The question arises: what kind of rare luck accompanied the investigation, if after a powerful explosion (of the order of 250-300 kg in TNT equivalent) they found not just fragments of a hypothetical torpedo, but specifically a fragment with an inscription "dignifying" North Korea? The South Korean torpedo could have exactly the same marking - a simple “number one” (there were no other designations issuing the manufacturing country) in South Korea would have written exactly the same.

Representatives of the commission bring all the new amazing facts and details. It turns out that for 2-3 the day before the “attack” several small submarines escorted the support ship left the North Korean Navy base on the Yellow Sea (its name and location just in case are not given) and left in an unknown direction, but returned back after 2-3 the day after everything happened. The movement of the submarines, although it happened in a specially controlled area, in a specially protected area of ​​the sea border between the South and the North, failed: the boats allegedly disappeared from radar screens for a while and their route remained unknown. This version completely contradicts the earlier statements by the US military that, according to the US space and sound-acoustic reconnaissance data, in the area of ​​the catastrophe no North Korean vessels, including submarines, were recorded.

In the first hours after the announcement of the commission’s conclusions, a feverish “promotion” of the proposed plot began. It seems that everything goes according to a pre-prepared scenario. The White House statement, published almost simultaneously with the commission’s report, noted that the United States supports the findings of North Korea’s guilt in the attack and "condemns this act of aggression." Earlier, during a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Lee Myung-bak, Barack Obama agreed with the opinion that all contacts with North Korea should be suspended until the final conclusions on the causes of the tragedy and the identification of those responsible are received. Their strong support for Seoul (not a word about the assessment of the results of the investigation!) Was announced in Tokyo, where traditionally, no matter what, is in favor of increasing external pressure on Pyongyang and its international isolation.

In South Korea itself, the tone of the campaign was set by the president, who instructed the power ministries to take decisive countermeasures against North Korea so that it could not repeat "its reckless provocations." In political and military circles in particular, they spoke faintly about the expediency of certain measures of retribution, up to the "retaliatory military actions of a point character." The Minister of Defense Kim Tae Yeon, who stated that North Korea "must pay the price for what he did, became an expression of these sentiments." In Seoul, like mushrooms after rain, all new crisis response agencies are being created, to monitor the state of national security, or to check whether the government is ready for well-coordinated work "in emergency situations." The air smelled thoroughly of gunpowder.

And yet, the decision on a possible military action against North Korea in Seoul is reserved for the most extreme case, understanding what this may threaten the entire Korean Peninsula. But diplomatic pressure, preferably through the UN Security Council, in Seoul is considered an ideal option. At the same time, South Koreans are very eager to draw all the most important countries for them, including partners in the six-party talks and permanent members of the UN Security Council, to support their position. Since the position of the West as a whole is clear, now the center of diplomatic activity of Seoul is being transferred to work with Russia and the PRC in order to convince them to support the South Korean leadership in their desire to “punish” Pyongyang.

21 held a telephone conversation between Sergey Lavrov and South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan in May, during which the latter again drew attention to the conclusions of the investigation, stressing that the collected evidence points to Pyongyang’s guilt. The answer of the Russian minister, judging by the official report of the Russian Foreign Ministry, was diplomatic. Seoul was pointed out that Moscow would carefully study all the materials available in this case, not only South Korean, but also those that "come from other sources." Thus, it was clear to Seoul that it was clear that Moscow did not have full confidence in the South Korean version - the question requires objective verification. At the same time, the Russian side stressed the need for restraint and caution by all interested parties to prevent further escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. This is exactly the responsible line required in this situation. It is important that Moscow be able to maintain its position.

The Chinese are in similar positions. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China described the Cheonan corvette accident as a “tragic surprise” and expressed the opinion that in addressing this issue it is necessary to focus on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. He urged all parties to remain calm, restraint and prudence until the final clarification of the true picture of the incident. In informal terms, the Chinese point out that the South Korean side’s evidence base is not convincing, suffers from obvious gaps and contradictions, so China will build its own estimates of the outcome of the investigation.

In recent days alone, three important documents have been published in the DPRK - statements by the State Defense Committee of the DPRK, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of Korea. In them, all attempts of the southerners to justify the involvement of the North in the incident are categorically dismissed. The documents state that the so-called "evidence" was fabricated; The DPRK is ready to send its inspectors to the Republic of Kazakhstan to check "material evidence". At the same time, the DPRK gives a tough political assessment of what is happening. The current situation, according to Pyongyang, can be regarded as "one of the stages of the war" with all the ensuing consequences. Under these conditions, the Republic mobilizes all forces to defend national sovereignty, and if they decide to take retaliation measures in Seoul, Pyongyang will respond with full-scale war and unrestricted use of military force. There is no reason to doubt that the North Koreans will indeed take serious retaliatory steps in extraordinary circumstances.

Pyongyang’s proposal to send a delegation of its experts to the Republic of Kazakhstan to jointly study the "material evidence" found by the southerners in a timely and constructive manner. Such cooperation in a crisis situation will preserve the line of communication and contacts between the North and the South, and with a conscientious approach by the parties to the work of a bilateral group, it can also become an important factor in resolving the conflict. It is very important how Seoul responds to this proposal. It is discouraging that, according to the first reports, the leadership of the Republic of Kazakhstan, under various pretexts, is trying to reject the idea of ​​Pyongyang. If this is confirmed, then doubts about the evidence base of southerners will only increase.
Now, much will depend on what next move or series of moves Seoul will take. It’s not long to wait - Lee Myung-bak will address the nation on May 24, which will set out a plan for further actions by the South Korean side in the current situation.

Comments

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yes, it is clear that all this is falsified, like most of the "crimes" of the Serbs in Yugoslavia