South Korea fell silent Thursday to honour the 46 sailors killed when a mystery blast tore a warship apart, amid growing suspicion that a North Korean torpedo was to blame.
Flags nationwide flew at half-mast, citizens observed a moment of silence and a siren sounded as a mass funeral began at 10:00 am (0100 GMT) for the victims of one of the country's worst naval disasters.
Hundreds of thousands have this week visited flower-decked altars set up across the country in memory of those killed when the 1,200-tonne corvette sank near the tense disputed inter-Korean border on March 26.
Investigators studying the two salvaged halves of the Cheonan say an external blast hit the ship underwater.
The defence minister has said a heavy torpedo was among the likeliest causes, although Seoul has not openly blamed Pyongyang pending the outcome of a multinational probe by more than 100 investigators.
Some 1,500-2,000 guests including bereaved relatives, government and military officials, ambassadors and foreign delegations were attending the funeral at a naval base at Pyongtaek 70 kilometres (44 miles) south of Seoul.
The ceremony began with a salute to the dead. It was to be followed by the award of posthumous honours, tributes, a rifle salute, a siren salute from all ships at the base and the release of 3,000 black and white balloons to symbolise the colours of a naval uniform.
Searchers are scouring the bed of the murky Yellow Sea for any remnants that could confirm an attack on the Cheonan. The communist North has denied involvement.
The South's government is weighing its options for a response in case hard evidence emerges of the North's involvement. The disputed border was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999 and 2002, and of a firefight last November which set a North Korean patrol boat ablaze.
An unidentified official has told Yonhap news agency that Seoul has not ruled out a military response if hard evidence emerges of Pyongyang's involvement, but it would likely take the case to the United Nations Security Council.
South Korea will brief permanent Council members China and Russia on the outcome of its probe, the official said.
South Korean and US officials have indicated that six-nation nuclear disarmament talks cannot resume while the sinking remains a mystery.
After the funeral service, the bodies of the dead were to be taken to the Daejeon National Cemetery further south. A naval honour guard was to line the entrance and the 58 survivors of the blast were to carry portraits of their dead comrades.
The bodies of six sailors remain unrecovered. Their families burned naval uniforms, personal belongings or fingernail or hair clippings at a cremation cemetery Wednesday, the JoongAng Daily reported.
Sailors on sea duty leave nail or hair clippings to be returned to families in case they are lost at sea.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
