정경두 국방 '北어선 입항' 대국민 사과

Seoul's Defense Minister apologized to the South Korean people ... following heavy criticism over the military's handling of the situation concerning a North Korean fishing boat that crossed into South Korean waters last week... and went undetected for more than three days.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
Seoul's Defense Minister bowed down to the public for the various suspicions raised during the military's involvement in a North Korean fishing boat incident, vowing to regain public trust in the military... and reprimand those responsible.
"The military is gravely aware of the situation and offers its deepest apology to the people. With this incident, the military will tighten its operational and work discipline... and penalize those responsible after a thorough inspection of the military's security operations."
The defense ministry has set up an investigation team to launch a probe into the Joint Chiefs of Staff... as well as the navy and army troops in charge of maritime surveillance.
The military's failure to secure maritime borders, false reporting as well as concealment of the incident from the public are being cited as the main contentious issues of the probe... particularly regarding the military's ambiguous response regarding where they've first found the North Korean boat.
Officials first implied the boat was drifting at sea... but acknowledged later upon local media reports that the boat was in fact near the eastern shore.
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon also apologized to the public for the concerns stemming from the incident,... adding the investigation findings will be provided to the public in a transparent manner.
Rival parties meanwhile heavily criticized the government and the military... and called for a thorough investigation as well as punitive measures for those responsible.
Democratic Party Floor Leader Lee In-young vowed to work with the government to come up with preventative measures,... but stressed the incident is irrelevant when it comes to the Comprehensive Military Agreement signed by the two Koreas last September.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party floor leader Na Kyung-won said the boat incident is not something that should be taken lightly... as it shows how the inter-Korean military agreement have led to a complete flaw in national security.
Oh Shin-hwan, floor leader of the minor opposition Bareun Mirae Party called for Jeong's resignation as well as a parliamentary probe into the matter.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.