Was The Sinking Retaliation For U.S./South Korean Joint Military Exercises?
Three weeks ago the South Korean navy ship Cheonan sunk from undetermined causes near the maritime border with North Korea. There were heightened tensions between the two countries before the incident, and that situation has not improved. At the time, initial reports speculated that a North Korean torpedo or mine had caused the explosion and the breaking in two of the ship. The South Koreans dispelled that rumor at the time, saying instead that it appeared the explosion was caused by an internal event on the ship. As a result of the blast, fifty-eight of the crew members on board the Cheonan were rescued while thirty-eight were found when the stern of the ship was recovered this week. Two of the crew had been previously recovered, while eight still remain missing. External Explosion Now Considered Likely No official reason for the explosion has been given, but South Korean officials are now saying that “there is a high possibility of an external explosion rather than an internal explos
