Almost 60 people were rescued on Friday from a sinking South Korean naval ship, which had a crew of 100, though US and South Korean officials played down suggestions that North Korea might have had a role.
Initial reports hinted that a North Korean ship might have been involved. But a presidential aide on Friday night told the Yonhap news agency that there had been no sign of North Korean military in the area. The agency quoted the official as saying that satellite pictures and other information showed no sign of any North Korean activity in the vicinity.
If the sinking did result from a North Korean attack, it would be a dangerous escalation of tensions by the reclusive dictatorship, which last year fired a long-range missile over Japan and tested its second atomic warhead.
A war-footing on the peninsula would be a blow to South Korea, which is hoping to use its presidency of the G20 leading economies this year to improve its standing internationally.
South Korea said 58 sailors had been rescued, but had no other comment. Seoul's presidential office said it had convened an emergency meeting of security officials to determine the cause of the sinking and consider any response. The defence ministry said the ship was holed below the waterline but declined to specify a cause.
Seoul said a second South Korean warship opened fire after the sinking. South Korean media initially said the salvoes were aimed at a North Korean ship, but the joint chiefs of staff said suspicious movements on a radar screen could have been caused by a flock of birds. North and South Korean ships exchanged fire in the same waters in November.
Clashes in 1999 and 2002 prompted the South Korean navy to insist it had improved its defences. |