"Hymn to the Sea"

 

After a five day mourning period, the 46 lost sailors of the Naval frigate Cheonan were laid to rest today at the Daejeon National Cemetery.

South Korea's ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772) was sunk on March 26th, 2010 due to presently unknown reasons. However, at this point in time, it is believed to be an external explosion due to a torpedo or even a mine. The ship was on patrol on the hotly disputed Northern limit lines in the Yellow Sea. Since the area has been under dispute, and there is speculation of the North Korea's (the DPRK) involvement, as there have been multiple incidents over the last 10 years. In May of 2009 the "North stated that it 'will not guarantee the legal status' of five South Korean islands near the disputed inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea." Specifically, claims have been made that this may be retaliation for the incident back in November of 2009 which caused a North Korean vessel to sustain damage. The DPRK's vessel allegedly was on routine patrol, crossed the Northern Limit Line, and was chased back over the line by the South. (Apparently a flexing of muscles preceding President Obama's visit at the time).

Also, rumors have been abound that the DPRK is not denying the incident, and even bragging about it, as it strengthens it's military image as a force to be reckoned with and instills some fear in the much more prosperous South. Even claims that "human torpedoes" were used to sink the Cheonan. Again, this is all rumors and isn't backed up by any facts except for reports from what I personally consider unreliable newspapers.

The reasoning for the torpedo theory is because the ship was recovered from the sea floor in 2 parts. The metal from the ship was folded inwards, making an internal explosion an impossibility.

Before

After

The BBC also reported the following:

After an initial examination the following observations and explanations have been announced to the public.

• The skin of the ship was bent inwards, pointing to an external rather than an internal explosion, a conclusion given further weight by the fact that the ship's weapons storage area is intact
• There are no signs of scraping, or of a collision, ruling out the possibility that the ship ran aground
• There is no evidence of soot or melting on the skin of the ship, suggesting that the external explosion took place some distance away from the hull

The sinking of the Cheonan is indeed tragic and heartbreaking for South Koreans. 46 young sailors have died, not including a naval rescue diver who died during the week-long salvage/rescue attempt. Of the 46 dead, "thirty-eight were found in the stern, one in the funnel of the stern, and the remaining one in the gyrocompass room in the bow that was salvaged on Saturday. The other six may have been thrown off the ship in the explosion or swept away by tides."

This incident also has international complications. If the DPRK is proven to be at fault, how should the South react? Further military escalation would only worsen relations. The ROK and USA are two countries who do not want to see escalation. Seoul lies only a short way from the DMZ and is easily in striking distance and an all out war would cost millions of lives - quite possibly my own! Although, the case for that is relatively slim. If the North full-out attacked, it would mean the end of their regime as they would be driven back at a high cost of lives on both sides. If for some reason the DPRK took over the South, reunification would have no hope, and resistance would be fierce. The DPRK seems itching for the South to attack first. Maybe as to not be seen as the aggressor in international light, or maybe because it has realized that it is a dying country with food shortages and economic difficulties among other issues..

Personally, I suspect that the incident to basically blow over but never be forgotten. Yet another strain on an already tense situation.