Pyeongtaek, April 29: South Korea honoured 46 sailors on Thursday with a tearful military funeral a month after a blast sank their warship, and officials vowed retaliation for those responsible as speculation mounted that North Korea may have torpedoed the vessel.
An estimated 2,800 mourners including President Lee Myung-bak attended the outdoor funeral at a Navy base south of Seoul for the ceremony as sirens sounded across the country. A sombre Lee and his wife placed white chrysanthemums — a traditional flower of mourning in South Korea — burned incense and bowed before the framed photos of the soldiers, while buglers played taps.
Former president Chun Doo-hwan, lawmakers and military leaders also paid respects. The Navy’s chief of staff vowed retaliation for whoever was responsible for the sinking, which is still under investigation.
South Korea has not directly blamed its Cold War-era rival North Korea, but suspicion has focused on Pyongyang given its history of provocations and attacks on the South. South Korea’s defence minister said this week the blast was most likely caused by a torpedo attack.
North Korea has denied any role in the sinking, one of South Korea’s worst naval disasters.
The names of each sailor was read out while Lee, clad in a black suit and tie, placed military decorations on a giant alter below individual photos of each man. They had all been posthumously promoted by one rank in recent days.
Buddhist monks clad in orange and white robes chanted prayers at the interfaith funeral. Roman Catholic priests and Christian pastors also participated. Surviving relatives and other mourners wept. Navy sailors fired a three-volley rifle salute.
The sailors went down with the 1,200-ton Cheonan near the tense western sea border with North Korea on March 26 shortly after it was torn apart by what investigators believe was an underwater blast from outside the ship.
Fifty-eight sailors survived the sinking. The bodies of 40 of the sailors were recovered, while six others remained unaccounted for and are presumed dead. The retrieved bodies were cremated this week.
The funeral took place at the 2nd Fleet headquarters in Pyeongtaek, about 45 miles (70 kilometres) south of Seoul, the Cheonan’s home base. The ceremony was to be followed by burial later on Thursday. The events cap five days of official mourning that has mixed outpourings of grief and sympathy with anger at possible North Korean involvement.
–Agencies