S Korea vows caution over sunken ship

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington strongly condemned North Korea’s action and called for an international response.

The South announced on Thursday that it had overwhelming evidence a North Korean submarine had entered its waters in March and attacked the Cheonan corvette, killing 46 sailors in what President Lee Myung-bak called a “military provocation”.

North Korea denied the accusation and said it was ready to tear up all agreements with the South, with whom it remains technically at war under a truce that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.

“It was a military provocation and violation of the UN Charter and the truce agreement,” Lee, whose 2½ years in office have seen relations with the North turn increasingly frosty, said in a statement.

“Since this case is very serious and has grave importance, we cannot afford to have a slightest mistake and will be very prudent in all response measures we take,” his office quoted him as telling a rare emergency National Security Council meeting.
US condemns

Hillary, speaking in Tokyo, said there must be a clear message to North Korea that provocative actions have consequences. “We cannot allow this attack on South Korea to go unanswered by the international community,” Hillary said after talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada.
South Korean Defence Minister Kim Tae-young said Seoul would work with the international community to come up with non-military sanctions against the reclusive state.
“For those acts, the government will definitely make sure North Korea pays,” Kim said.