South Korea today mourned the loss of 46 sailors who died when a Navy ship sank after a blast widely believed to have been the result of a North Korean torpedo.
President Lee Myung-bak, wary of the impact on economic recovery efforts, has signalled Seoul would not retaliate by force, calming investor concerns about escalating tension surrounding Asia's fourth-largest economy.
Mr Myung-bak attended the funeral services held at the home base of the navy corvette Cheonan in this west coast port city 200 km from the disputed waters bordering the North where it sank.
He awarded each of the dead an Order of Military Merit.
Leading the service, chief of naval operations Admiral Kim Sung-chan vowed to hunt down the culprits and punish them.
"We will weed them out and make them pay the price”.
The sailors were killed in what would be one of the deadliest strikes by Pyongyang on its rival since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
The North has denied involvement.
Reuters