U.S. sees no indication of DPRK's involvement in S Korean naval disaster: USFK chief

The United States sees no definitive indication that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was behind the recent sinking of a South Korean warship, the chief of U.S. Forces Korea said Tuesday.

"We don't want to rush to any conclusion as to what was the cause of the incident," General Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said at a luncheon with the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, adding that there is no unusual military move in the DPRK.

"The United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) are forming a joint investigative team and after we get the ship up, we will have the best experts from Korea and the United States really go over and determine what was the cause of this incident," he said, refusing to speculate.

His remarks come amid deepening speculation here on what caused a 1,200-ton corvette to sink late last month into waters near the contentious maritime border with the DPRK.

Some have alleged torpedo attacks from the DPRK might have caused the disaster, while the South Korean government has been scrambling unsuccessfully to determine a cause.

Fifty-eight of the 104 crew members were rescued alive from the sinking ship. One sailor was found dead and 45 others remain missing.

Source: Xinhua