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Gov't to show wreckage of sunken ship to Twitter users to dispel doubts among young
By Kim Deok-hyun
SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Monday it will arrange a session with Twitter users and bloggers next month to show the wreckage of the sunken battleship Cheonan, an effort to dispel any doubts among the young that North Korea was behind the deadly attack that killed 46 South Korean sailors.
The ministry will select 20 Twitter users, 10 defense bloggers and 30 college reporters to take a trip to Pyeongtaek naval port south of Seoul where the salvaged parts of Cheonan are being kept. The session is scheduled for Friday, officials said.
The event is aimed at removing skepticism among young Internet users who have raised doubts in online communities about the results of a multinational investigation that concluded North Korea downed the ship in a torpedo attack.
North Korea denied any involvement in the incident and has threatened to wage an "all-out war" if it is punished.
Police and prosecution investigators are tracking down rumors in cyberspace and have vowed to reprimand those responsible for spreading unfounded speculation and allegations.
A former member of the multinational investigation team, Shin Sang-cheol, was questioned by prosecutors after he argued that the 1,200-ton corvette sank in an accident, not a North Korean attack. Shin runs a progressive Internet newspaper.
Twitter users can apply through the ministry's Twitter page (@ROK_MND), and 20 among them will be selected at random.
Members from Internet portals will also be invited, ministry officials said.
"This is to dispel any suspicions among people in their 20s and 30s about the sinking of the Cheonan and deepen trust of the government and the military," a ministry official said.
Twitter users will be briefed about the results of the multinational probe and allowed to take photographs of the wreckage, he said.
kdh@yna.co.kr
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