Tension is rising between North and South Korea as fingers point to the Communist country for the sinking of a South Korean warship which an investigation found the North “overwhelmingly” responsible.

The incident which occurred on 26 March, at the maritime border which has been disputed between the two countries, resulted in 46 South Korean sailors dying after an unidentified explosion sunk the ship.

Tensions were extremely high yesterday after an official report by a multinational investigation team including investigators from Britain, Australia, Canada, the United States, Sweden and South Korea concluded that the evident had “overwhelmingly pointed” at a torpedo from “a North Korean submarine”.

The report added that “There is no other plausible explanation.”

South Korea, till yesterday were keeping away from blaming the North for the incident though many politicians, the public and the media had already blamed the communist ruled country.

However, now the South Korean military and high profile politicians in the Asian country are vowing that there will be consequences.

Defence Minister, Kim Tae-Young told foreign reporters “North Korea surpassed the limits and for such an act we will make it pay,”

The investigation had found several pieces of evidence linking the torpedo which sunk the warship with North Korean used torpedo’s after the sunken ship was lifted out of sea and investigations had started on it.

The investigators found that the remains of the torpedo which sunk the ship had schematics, which matched North Korean torpedos that were sold abroad.

Also, the torpedo had a serial number still intact which was consistent with previously used or purchased torpedo’s from the North.

The investigators also spoke with all the survivors of the sunken ship and done an investigation on the dead bodies recovered from the ship.

North Korea are still denying any involvement in the sinking of the warship despite the overwhelming evidence from the report and have since said that any retaliation by the South or sanctions will result in open war.

Philip Crowley, the United States, State department spokesman said on Thursday that “This was a serious provocation. There will definitely be consequences,”

A high ranked military intellegience officer also suggested yesterday that North Korea might have launched the attack over an incident which occurred in November 2009, where firefighting occurred in the disputed border leaving a North Korean patrol boat in flames.

Lt Gen Hwang Won-Dong, director of the Defence Intelligence Agency explained that the attack was “to restore honour to the military and boost its morale,”

Meanwhile the South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak has said, that the March 26 torpedo attack was a breach of the peace agreement which was signed between the two country’s to end the 1950-53 war. However the president also said that their retaliations will be careful and sensible.

Japan’s, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, has called the attack “unforgivable” and have even offered to lead any UN resolution.

Other country’s have also condemned the act and have offered support while China, an ally of South Korea, has called for restraint from both sides.

South Korea has so far ruled out any military action in fear of a full scale war.

Lee said “This incident is so serious and grave an issue that we must be very cautious and prudent in handling it,”.

Lawrence Cannon , Canada’s Foreign Minister said “Canada strongly condemns this violent act of aggression by the North Korean regime, which has once again demonstrated reckless and unacceptable behavior.”

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