No sign of DPRK military near ship

BEIJING, Mar. 27 -- There was no sign of military of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the area where a South Korean naval ship sank, Yonhap quoted a presidential official as saying on Saturday.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak presides over a national security-related  ministerial meeting regarding the sinking of a South Korean naval ship  at the presidential Blue House in Seoul March 26, 2010. Several South  Korean sailors were killed and one of its naval ships with more than  100 aboard was sinking on Friday after possibly being hit by a North  Korean torpedo, South Korean media reported. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

There had been earlier suggestions that the vessel may have been attacked on Friday night by DPRK near the disputed sea border.

But the government later played down the reports and the Yonhap report quoted the official as saying that satellite pictures and other information showed no sign of any North Korean activity in the area.