Obama backs Seoul on ship sinking

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The White House said on Monday that US President Barack Obama “fully supports” the South Korean President and his response to the torpedo attack by North Korea that killed 46 South Korean sailors.
The administration said it endorsed President Lee Myung-bak’s demand that “North Korea immediately apologise and punish those responsible for the attack, and, most importantly, stop its belligerent and threatening behaviour.” Seoul can continue to count on the full backing of Washington, the White House said.
“US support for South Korea’s defence is unequivocal, and the President has directed his military commanders to coordinate closely with their Republic of Korea counterparts to ensure readiness and to deter future aggression,” the White House said.
The South Korean President said on Monday that his nation would no longer tolerate the North’s “brutality” and said the repressive communist regime would pay for the surprise March 26 torpedo attack. He also vowed to cut off all trade with the North and to take Pyongyang to the UN Security Council for punishment over the sinking of the warship Cheonan.
The attack was South Korea’s worst military disaster since the Korean War.
Speaking earlier in Beijing, US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton said the North must be held accountable and she is pushing to get the support of China, North Korea’s top ally, for diplomatic action.
A team of international investigators concluded last week that a North Korean submarine launched the torpedo that split the Cheonan in two.