Lee administration responds to Russian investigation report

Posted on : 2010-07-28 11:49 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
In light of differing claims, the opposition has called for a full reinvestigation
 holding a camera
holding a camera

By Ha Uh-yeong

The Lee Myung-bak administration has given a full-scale refutation of the content of the Russian investigation team’s report summary, covered by the Hankyoreh on Tuesday. This response was far removed from the Lee administration’s original attitude as it announced the Russian team’s participation, stating that the Russians would support Seoul’s position. An examination of the Russian investigation team’s report and the Ministry of Defense’s refutation reveals a number of differences. There may also be differing claims in South Korea and abroad.

Events Prior to the Explosion

The Russian investigation team said the CCTVs inside the Cheonan stopped taping on March 26 at 21:17:03 p.m. In response, the Ministry of Defense said there were 11 cameras installed inside the Cheonan, and since their time was never adjusted after it was input during installation, there is a difference between the time displayed on the recorded video and the real time

Experts pointed out, however, that it is unpersuasive that the time entered into six of the recovered CCTVs would have the same time error. An official from one CCTV firm told the Hankyoreh during a telephone interview that CCTVs supplied to the military are high-performance equipment: out of 1,000, maybe one or two would have time errors. Moreover, the Cheonan’s CCTVs began operation in September of last year. The official said that less than a year after installation, the cameras could be off by no more than a minute.

In response to the Russian investigation team’s claim that the crew informed coastal signal corpsman that there were injuries at 21:12:03, the Defense Ministry said a Cheonan crew member made the call personally. Since the Russian report specifies a coastal signal corpsman, however, it is possible to conclude that this is something that requires reinvestigation.

Damage to the Cheonan’s Screws

The Russian report notes that the Cheonan touched the sea floor, damaging all the blades on the right screw and two of the blades on the left screw. In response, the Defense Ministry repeated its existing position, that the all the ends of the blades of the starboard screw were bent inward due to the centrifugal force generated as the screw rotation suddenly stopped with the explosion. A civilian committee member who conducted the simulation analysis has already said, however, that it is impossible to recreate the same situation. This is because if one supposes that the Cheonan suddenly stopped, what would have appeared would be all the blades folding inside like a flower bud, not just the tips bending.

In response to the Russian investigation team’s finding that the damaged screws were shaved so that they were shiny, the Defense Ministry explained that the barnacles attached to the blade of the left screw remained mostly as they were. It could be said, however, that this explanation has nothing to do with the discussion, as it was the bent right screw where the problem was concentrated. Some domestic experts have also pointed out that netting, with soft but with strong tension, could get caught in and scratch up a screw even as it rotates. This is a third theory that casts doubts about both the Russian and Defense Ministry’s explanations.

Cause of the Sinking

The Russian report mentioned the possibility that a floating mine sank the Cheonan. In response, the Defense Ministry said that the mines were laid in the late 1970s to prevent a North Korean vessel from landing on Baengyeong Island, and that the lead wires had been cut and all the mines disabled. A retired high-ranking admiral, however, has already testified that there are active mines deployed in the seas. He said if the sheath of the leading wire is removed, it is possible for the mine to go off just from the voltage flowing through the Cheonan.

The emergence of diverse opinions on the cause of the sinking, including the torpedoes, running aground, mines and a complexity of causes, calls have also increased for a reinvestigation. Lawmaker Hong Young-pyo, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party’s (DP) special parliamentary committee to find the truth behind the sinking, called on the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) to immediately agree to a parliamentary investigation. Meanwhile, minor opposition Democratic Labor Party (DLP) spokesman Woo Wi-young said in a statement that the solution was a full-scale reinvestigation.

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