South Korea honours 46 dead in ship sinking

South Korea held an emotional and solemn funeralThursday for46 sailors killed in the sinking of a navy warship,whileofficials vowed retaliation against those responsible for whatsome believe was a North Korean attack.

Wailing families placed white chrysanthemums, burned incense and bowed in front of the framed photos of the men beforecremated ashes were buried at the national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon. Buddhist and Christian clergy offered prayers and a dirge was played.

Some mothers clad in blackmourning dress wailed uncontrollably, touching photos of their sons and their urns wrapped in white cloth.

"It's your mother! Please answer me! Please answer me!" one mother shouted.

The sailors went down with the Cheonan near the tense western sea border with North Korea on March 26 shortly after it was torn apart by what investigators believe was an underwater blast from outside the ship.

The bodies of 40 of the sailors were recovered, while six others remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead. Belongings of the missing were burned and the ashes were among those buried Thursday.

North Korea denies involvement

South Korea has not directly blamed its Cold War-era rival North Korea, but suspicion has focused on Pyongyang, given its history of provocations and attacks on the South.

South Korea's defence minister said this week the blast was most likely caused by a torpedo attack. North Korea has denied any responsibility.

Earlier Thursday, sirens blared across South Korea when the funeral started at the 2nd Fleet headquarters in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, the ship's home base. Warships anchored there sounded whistles, and seamen aboard saluted when the vehicles carrying the ashes left for the cemetery.

A somber President Lee Myung-bak and his wife who joined 2,800 mourners at the ceremony paid homage to the sailors, while buglers played taps. Former president Chun Doo-hwan, legislatorsand military leaders also paid respects to those who died in one of South Korea's worst naval disasters.

The name of each sailor was read out while Lee, clad in a black suit and tie, placed military decorations on a giant altar below photos of each man. They had all been posthumously promoted by one rank in recent days.

"The Cheonan is engraved as history into the people's hearts and your honourable sacrifice is being reborn as patriotism," Chief Petty Officer Kim Hyun-rae, one of the 58 survivors, said in an address to the funeral.

Tears welled up in the eyes of President Lee as he listened to Kim's speech.

About 3,000 white and black balloons were released into the air.

The Cheonan was on a routine patrol before it split in two and sank near the disputed western sea border, a scene of three bloody sea battles between the rival Koreas that remain locked in a state of war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, instead of a peace treaty.

"We cannot forgive this and must not forgive it and must not forget it," Navy Chief of Staff Kim Sung-chan said in a speech at the funeral. "We will never sit idly by in the face of whoever inflicted huge pain to our people. "

Military retaliation against Pyongyang, however, is considered unlikely as it could lead to a major conflict and frighten away investors at a time when South Korea is recovering fast from the global financial meltdown and prepares to hold a summit of leaders from the Group of 20 in November.