North Korea refuses to atone for deadly 2010 ship sinking despite Seoul embargo

North Korea today ruled out any apology over the 2010 sinking of the South Korean navel corvette Cheonan - even as Seoul requires Pyongyang to show contrition before lifting an effective trade embargo.

Two days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the sinking, in which 46 South Korean seamen died, the North’s top military body, the National Defence Commission (NDC), condemned Seoul’s steadfast insistence on the “cock-and-bull” idea that Pyongyang was responsible.

The Cheonan was carrying 104 personnel when it sank near the disputed Yellow Sea maritime border between North and South Korea on March 26. It was one of the deadliest incidents between the two Koreas since the end of the 1950-1953 Korean war.

A South Korean-led investigation involving a team of international experts concluded it was sunk by a North Korean submarine torpedo.

In its response today, Seoul slammed North Korea’s latest denial of its involvement in the sinking.

“It has been concluded [the sinking was the act of] North Korea’s submarine, and thus North Korea’s claim is unacceptable,” South Korea’s Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters.

Seoul had five years ago responded with the so-called “May 24 measures”, which amounted to an effective trade embargo and suspension of large-scale aid on North Korea, which remain in place today.