South Korean politicians from across the political spectrum paid their respects today to the 46 sailors and a rescue diver who perished in the Cheonan incident of March 26th, 2010.
However, the politicking continued as the ruling Saenuri Party and opposition Democratic United Party both used the word ‘sinking’ in their descriptions of the tragedy, while the left wing Unified Progressive Party, which does not accept North Korea’s responsibility for it, labeled it the ‘Cheonan incident.’
In a statement, the ruling Saenuri Party stated, “We wish to offer our deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the fallen 46 naval soldiers and the late warrant officer Han Ju Ho, who lost his life during the search for missing persons.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic United Party said in its own statement, “We will make every effort to strengthen our security posture so that the lives of the 46 fallen Cheonan soldiers and the warrant officer Han were not lost in vain.”
However, the Unified Progressive Party declared in its statement, “Today is the third anniversary of the Cheonan incident. We wish to express our condolences to the soldiers who lost their lives in the accident, the crew of 98 Keumyang and their remaining families.”
“The Cheonan incident was a tragedy that should never happen again,” it continued. “We must strive for peace in the West Sea, and from there for peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
A memorial service took place this morning at Daejeon National Cemetery, attended by President Park Geun Hye, Saenuri Party chair Hwang Woo Yea and Democratic United Party head Moon Hui Sang and other political leaders. The leadership of the Unified Progressive Party was not represented.
