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| Defense Minister Song Young-moo attends an interpellation session at the National Assembly, Wednesday. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
Defense Minister Song Young-moo said Wednesday it is impossible to prove North Korean official Kim Yong-chol's direct involvement in the torpedo attack on the Navy ship Cheonan in 2010, which claimed the lives of 46 sailors.
Kim, chief of the Workers' Party of Korea's United Front Department, returned home Tuesday after his three-day visit to the South to attend the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
The conservatives here sternly lashed out at Kim's visit, claiming he is the "war criminal" who masterminded the torpedo attack on the South Korean Navy frigate Cheonan. They staged street rallies in front of the Tongil Bridge in Paju, to interrupt Kim's way to Seoul.
Asked whether the attack was committed by the North, Song said "I believe so." However, he said it is impossible to confirm Kim's involvement. "We can assume, but it's impossible to confirm," Song told lawmakers at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee.
"At that time, investigations showed that Kim's involvement was not confirmed, and I'm echoing the documents," he added.
Song's remarks are in accordance with the remarks of Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon last week. During the parliament's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Cho told lawmakers that it is difficult to figure out who exactly ordered the attack. "This was the ministry's briefing to the Assembly in 2010," Cho said.
During his three days in Seoul, Kim stayed in a hotel taking part in a minimum of public activities. He reportedly had intense meetings with South Korean defense and intelligence officials, possibly in preparation for an inter-Korean summit, along with nuclear negotiations between the Washington and Pyongyang.
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