The President presided over an emergency meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) this morning in connection with the Cheonan tragedy. The meeting lasted for three hours from eight o’clock.

The participants at the meeting had in-depth discussions on ways to strengthen international coordination with regard to the sinking of the Cheonan, the nation’s defense posture, inter-Korean relations and the management of the country’s sovereign rating. They also delved into how to better prepare the nation’s defense readiness against North Korea’s asymmetrical threats, including cyber terrorism.

In his opening remarks, the President said, “The sinking of the Cheonan was a surprise military attack by the North at a late hour when the people were taking a good rest after a day’s work.”

The President emphatically said, “This constitutes a military provocation which is in contravention of the Charter of the United Nations, the Korean War Armistice Agreement and the Basic Agreement between South and North Korea. Considering its seriousness and gravity, there must not be a single mistake when taking countermeasures; we have to remain cautious.” 

The President continued by saying, “We gathered here today to review and discuss from various perspectives what kind of impact the incident will have on the military, the present and future of inter-Korean relations, our society, the international community and the economic recovery which has been underway after a long while.” The President continued, saying he “will make a special announcement before the nation and the international community based on the results of today’s discussions.”

At the meeting, the President issued instructions to Government ministries, saying that in order to prevent the North from waging reckless provocations, the Government must maintain its composure and respond to the North systematically and resolutely without an inch of wavering.

On hand at the meeting were Prime Minister Chung Un-chan: Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, Unification Minister Hyun In-taek; Defense Minister Kim Tae-young; Director of National Intelligence Service Won Sei-hoon, Minister of Public Administration and Security Maeng Hyung-kyu; Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Chung-kil and Minister of Strategy and Finance Yoon Jeung-Hyun as well as all other members of the NSC.