SEOUL, South Korea - The premier of China, North Korea's main ally, offered condolences Saturday to South Korea for the sinking of a warship blamed on Pyongyang after promising his country would not defend anyone guilty of the attack, as it faced growing pressure to take punitive action. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was to meet later in the day with the leaders of South Korea and Japan in a summit that was to focus on economic issues but is likely to be overshadowed by the sinking of the Cheonan in March, one of the South's worst military disasters since the 1950-53 Korean War. A multinational team of investigators said last week that evidence proved a North Korean torpedo sank the ship, and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has pledged to take the North to the UN Security Council. North Korea has denied responsibility, and has warned that any retaliation or punishment would mean war. Laying out the investigation results, Lee urged Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during bilateral talks Friday to play an "active role" in convincing North Korea to admit its wrongdoing, the presidential Blue House said. Wen told Lee that his country "will defend no one" responsible for the sinking, Lee's office said. Beijing will determine its stance after examining the investigation results, Wen told Lee, according to a briefing by presidential adviser Lee Dong-kwan. On Saturday, Wen offered condolences to South Korea, including the families of the dead sailors, at a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan before traveling to the tripartite summit on southern Jeju island, according to the prime minister's office. "China is a responsible nation which insists on justice and is seriously considering the findings of the multinational investigation," Wen said, according to Chung's spokesman, Kim Chang-young. "China has maintained consistent views on the stability of peace on the Korean peninsula and opposes acts that destroy it," he quoted Wen as saying. The South Korean president has announced a slate of punitive measures against the North, including cutting trade, resuming anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts across the border and launching large-scale naval exercises. US-South Korean military drills are to follow in the coming months.
