South Korea seeks allies over sinking

SOUTH Korea broadened efforts yesterday to convince the world and its own public that North Korea sank one of its warships, sharing evidence with Russian torpedo experts and preparing a special briefing for influential bloggers and Twitter personalities.

The persuasion campaign coincided with military exercises in which thousands of South Korean troops practised fending off an attack from the North near the rivals’ tense border. The drill, which the army said was routine and unrelated to the ship attack, involved building and defending pontoon bridges that scores of tanks used to cross a river as helicopters buzzed overhead. The South is lobbying for support for UN action against the North, blamed for torpedoing the Cheonan warship and killing 46 sailors in March. Winning Moscow’s backing would be vital because Russia is a veto-holding permanent Security Council member and a traditional ally of North Korea, which denies attacking the ship.

The Russian team – including torpedo and submarine experts – arrived yesterday and received a briefing on the Cheonan probe, conducted by a multinational group of investigators. They were scheduled to examine the wreckage and visit the site of the alleged attack before finishing their report on June 7, said a Defence Ministry official on condition of anonymity.