South Officially Blames The North

Well, this has been a long time coming. The South is set to officially declare that the North is responsible for the sinking of the Cheonan in March.

New York Times

Washington Post

So what happens next? If I had to guess, I'd say not too much.

From the post:

'South Korea's conclusion underscores the continuing threat posed by North Korea and the intractable nature of the dispute between the two nations. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak must respond forcefully to the attack, analysts said, but not in a way that would risk further violence from North Korea, whose artillery could -- within minutes -- devastate greater Seoul, which has a population of more than 20 million. Lee is in his third year in office, and his party faces crucial local elections in June.

On Monday, North Korea for the first time directly denied that it was involved in the Cheonan's sinking. "We will not tolerate the confrontations and warmongering schemes of the puppet regime of South Korea," said Yang Hyong-sop, vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.'

So if you're keeping track at home, the North officials are 'officially' denying it. Hey, shocker alert.

What I want to know is how does a country respond forcefully to a military attack without it turning into a fullscale fight?

China, apparently, isn't ready to choose sides. The US, meanwhile, has officials considering putting the North back on the terrorism list, giving them even more sanctions. I'm not sure how this would hurt them any more. They're already starving. Giving more sanctions won't hurt Kim Jong-il or his higher-ups. It's the common people who will just die more quickly.

It's a sticky situation for sure. One thing I can tell you now, though, is that we're all safe. Don't worry, mom and dad. ^^*