South Korean ship ‘hit by North Korean torpedo’

The South Korean naval ship sunk last month was hit by a North Korean torpedo, according to reports today.

The claim will heap more pressure on Lee Myung Bak, the South Korean President, to respond to one of the worst military acts of provocation since the Korean War.

The South Korean Defence Ministry declined to comment on the claim by the Yonhap news agency, the latest in a series of reports suggesting that the mysterious sinking of the naval corvette, Cheonan, last month was a deliberate and unprovoked attack by North Korea.

Forty-six sailors are dead or missing after the attack, which cut the 1,200 tonne vessel in two.