WASHINGTON (May 24, 2010) -- The U.S. and South Korean militaries will undergo two new training exercises in light of last week's finding that North Korea sank a South Korean navy ship, killing 46 sailors, a Pentagon spokesman announced today.
The U.S. Navy committed to conducting anti-submarine and maritime interdiction training with the South Koreans after consulting with their South Korean counterparts regarding the sinking of the frigate Cheonan on March 26, Bryan Whitman told reporters.
An international team of investigators from Australia, Great Britain, Sweden and the United States assisted South Korean experts in examining the forensic evidence left in the ship. They concluded in findings released May 20 that the 1,200-ton gunboat was destroyed by a North Korean torpedo.
"We have reached the clear conclusion that [the] Cheonan was sunk as the result of an external underwater explosion caused by a torpedo made in North Korea," said Yoon Duk-yong, of the investigation team. "The evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine. There is no other further explanation".
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on May 20 said it will be up to South Korea, not the United States, to determine its response to the attack. South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak announced today that the country will end trade with North Korea and that North Korean ships no longer will be permitted passage through South Korean waterways. Link
