The Military Armistice Commission (MAC), established under the U.N. Command (UNC) to oversee the ceasefire pact signed at the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, is expected to form a special panel to verify the results of an investigation into the ship's sinking by a multinational team of experts.
If the North is proven to have violated the armistice pact, the commission will lodge a formal protest with Pyongyang, the source said.
The probe results, announced Thursday by South Korea, said a North Korean submarine had attacked the South Korean warship, the Cheonan, with a torpedo, causing it to sink near their Yellow Sea border. Forty-six sailors aboard were killed.
Pyongyang denies the accusation, calling it a fabrication by the Seoul government, and has threatened to wage an "all-out war" if South Korea takes any countermeasures.
"After the Military Armistice Commission confirms the probe results (of the sinking of the Cheonan) and verifies them, it could strongly protest against North Korea," the source said on condition of anonymity.
"Then, it could suggest a joint investigation (with North Korea)," the source said, adding the commission's conclusions could also be sent directly to the United Nations.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened a meeting of the National Security Council Friday morning to discuss measures on North Korea. He is expected to make a public address early next week.
"Depending on the government's decision, we could take military or non-military measures as early as next week," Deputy Defense Minister Jang Kwang-il said.
The South's military is considering resuming propaganda broadcasts across the border with the North, launching anti-submarine military training exercises with the U.S. and banning North Korean ships from passing through South Korean waters, officials said.
In a diplomatic offensive, South Korea has said it would appeal to the U.N. Security Council to punish the North for the sinking.
On Thursday, North Korea's National Defense Commission expressed its intent to send its own investigators to Seoul to assess the investigation results, defense officials said.
The Seoul government's position is that the issue should be handled through the UNC, they said.
//Yonhap
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com