NDC Holds Press Conference on "Cheonan" Sinking

NDC Holds Press Conference on "Cheonan" Sinking

Pyongyang, May 28 (KCNA) -- The National Defence Commission of the DPRK held a press conference at the People's Palace of Culture Friday denouncing the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors of south Korea for having recently kicked off a racket of confrontation with the DPRK after groundlessly linking the case of the sinking of warship "Cheonan" with it. Present there were Korean and foreign reporters, representatives and military attaches of foreign embassies and representatives of international organizations here. Maj. General of the Korean People's Army Pak Rim Su, director of the Policy Department of the NDC, spoke at the press conference. Referring to the fact that the situation created after the case of warship "Cheonan" cooked up by the group of traitors is so grave that a war may break out anytime, he stressed that any accidental clash that may break out in the waters of the West Sea of Korea or in areas along the Demilitarized Zone will lead to an all-out war. The south Korean puppet authorities persistently refused the field inspection, unilaterally insisting on the forged "results of investigation" out of guilty conscience, he noted. He disclosed the truth behind the case as follows: The case of the warship sinking is a fabrication and charade orchestrated by the south Korean puppet authorities from A to Z. First, we can say this because the "scientific investigation" and "objective investigation" touted by the south Korean authorities were nonsensical. To begin with, the "team for investigation" was formed in such a way that it could not make a scientific and objective investigation, and this is clear from the fact that the south Korean military supervised the investigation. It is as clear as noonday that in what direction its results were worked out because the investigation was supervised by those who should be tried for being chief culprits of the case. The "international joint investigation team" was also made up of those countries which were not in a position to conduct an objective investigation. The United States was included in it. The U.S. is in the hostile relationship with the DPRK as it is still technically at war with it, and countries including Britain, Australia and Canada which joined the team are also those countries which participated in the Korean war by toeing the U.S. line and are now cooperating with the south Korean authorities. Clear is which party the members of the team from those countries would side with and what conclusion they would make. The same is the case with the "civilian and military joint investigation team". It raked up its brain to link "the material evidence" produced with the DPRK after supporting the story about "the north's involvement" the south Korean authorities spread before the results of investigation were announced. It was reported that civilians involved in the investigation team were hindered in their movements, leading a prison life aboard the warship "Tokdo" of the south Korean navy, because they had been strictly isolated from the outside since the start of investigation. They were barred from taking part in the major investigation. No wonder, some were expelled from the investigation team for the mere reason that they made assertions contrary to the stand of the "Ministry of Defense" and even they were prosecuted for them. The course in which the results of investigation changed several times and they were fabricated to gradually focus on the story about "a torpedo attack of the north" goes to prove that the investigation was unscientific and nonobjective. The time and place the sinking occurred changed several times. At first, it was stated that the case took place at 21: 45 and then it was corrected as 21:16, changing the time several times. The south side said that the warship was sunken near Paekryong Islet with lots of rocks, but later corrected that the place was changed into other place without rocks. It cannot be construed otherwise than intentional changes to draw a conclusion that the case was not an accident caused when the warship ran against rocks. The announcement of the stand on the question as to whether there was "outside provocation" or not was also repeatedly changed. The captain of the warship "Cheonan" who can be called irrefutable eyewitness said at first that "there was not outside provocation at all." But, finally he said "there was outside provocation." The puppet military said at first that "there was no ground whatsoever to say it was an attack from the north." But, finally it changed its stand by saying that "the warship was sunken by a torpedo attack of the north." It claimed there was no eyewitness who saw the column of water rising during the warship explosion, even among survivors of the warship. But later, it made a guard on Paekryong Islet far away from the waters where the ship sank state that he saw the white column of water 100m high in the pitch-dark. This was also a dastardly farce orchestrated by the group of traitors to link the case with the DPRK. There is a lot of evidence to prove it. The DPRK, therefore, categorically turns down and totally refutes the "results of investigation" announced by the south side. Second, a scrutiny into the "evidence" produced by the south Korean authorities makes it easy to guess that the story about "a torpedo attack of the north" is a sheer fabrication. Senior Colonel of the KPA Ri Son Gwon, official of the Policy Department of the NDC, with the help of a visual aid analyzed "pieces of evidence" produced by the south side one by one. He cited facts to scientifically prove that they were nothing but a sheer fabrication. Pak said there is the need to think over which side of both the north and the south got benefit from such case of warship sinking. He went on to say: The entire army and all the people of the DPRK are all out to bring about great innovations and leap forward in building a thriving nation in 2012, the historic year. Is there any reason for the DPRK to attack such south Korean patrol ship because it is channeling all its efforts into attaining the above-said gigantic goal? It was only the group of traitors that required such shocking case, he noted, laying bare its ulterior intention as follows: The case was needed by the group to justify its anti-DPRK moves. The policy of the present south Korean government is, in a word, to totally deny the policy of reconciliation, unity, cooperation and exchange which was followed in the past. Furthermore, it is aimed to totally scrap the historic June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration, the programme for implementing it. This policy brought the inter-Korean relations to the brink of a war. The resistance of the south Korean public against it has reached the point of explosion. Precisely for this reason, the south Korean authorities needed the case of the warship sinking by "a torpedo attack of the north" in a bid to spread among the south Korean people the conception that the DPRK is the "principal enemy", not fellow countrymen. Next, the case was needed to justify the south Korean authorities' foreign policy put in a crisis. Under the existing agreement reached between the United States and south Korea, the "right to command wartime operations" is to be transferred to south Korea in 2012. If this happens, the U.S. forces will be deprived of any justification to stay in south Korea. This would deal a telling blow at the south Korean authorities as they regard the "south Korea-U.S. alliance almighty" as the core of their foreign policy. For this reason, the south Korean authorities cooked up the fiction that the warship was sunken by "an armed attack" of the DPRK in a bid to hype such "security uneasiness" that a war may break out on the Korean Peninsula any time. The case was also needed to rally the conservative forces in south Korea. The south Korean conservative ruling forces are now torn apart. This cannot but be a cause of anxiety for the present south Korean authorities. So, they floated the story that the warship was sunken by "a torpedo attack of the north" in a bid to stir up confrontation with the DPRK and rally the conservative forces. The above-said case was also required to win in the forthcoming elections to local self-governing bodies. The puppet authorities egged the military warmongers on to groundlessly link the case with the DPRK in an effort to strain the situation and stoke the confrontation with it for the purpose of creating a phase favorable for winning in the elections. For the present, the farce was needed to evade their responsibility for the case. It is quite evident that in case the sinking of the warship is confirmed to be caused by stranding from self-carelessness or the "aging" of the warship, the blame for it will rest with the commander-in-chief of the puppet armed forces and military bosses. The group of traitors can prolong their remaining days only when it fakes up the conclusion that the warship was caused by the attack of the DPRK. The noisy racket of confrontation with the DPRK kicked up by the group over the sinking of "Cheonan" is nothing but an act of precipitating its self-destruction as it is an undisguised declaration of a war against the DPRK and a hideous criminal act of driving the inter-Korean relations to the state of war. The DPRK has so far bolstered up its nuclear deterrent under the banner of Songun for the purpose of coping with such present acute situation. Its powerful physical means including nuclear weapons are not to be on display or to be stockpiled. Now is the time for the DPRK to demonstrate the mettle of its revolutionary armed forces. How the situation will develop entirely depends on the attitude of the group of traitors. Upon the authorization of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, Pak once again notified the participants of the important steps taken by the KPA. And he solemnly clarified the principled stand of the army and people of the DPRK to strongly retaliate against the frantic actions of the group of traitors to do harm to the dignified DPRK. There were answers to the questions raised at the conference.