May 20, 10

NEWS / Results of probe into Korean navy ship sinking deeply troubling, Ban says

20 May 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced serious concern over the results of the investigation into the sinking of a navy ship off the coast of the Republic of Korea, alleged by the country to have been carried out by its northern neighbour, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DRPK).

A report issued by the Republic of Korea in its capital, Seoul, on Thursday morning reportedly found that the Cheonan was hit by a DRPK torpedo in late March.

The explosion killed 46 Republic of Korea sailors.

“The facts laid out in the report are deeply troubling,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the Secretary-General, a national of the Republic of Korea, learned of the findings with a “heavy heart.”

Mr. Ban voiced his appreciation for the Republic of Korea’s Government for its “restrained and patient efforts” to look into the Cheonan incident in an “objective and scientific manner by both domestic and international experts.”

He reiterated his deep sadness over the loss of the sailors’ lives, extending his sympathy to their families as well as to the people and Government of the Republic of Korea.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34756&Cr=republic+of+korea&Cr1=