People involved in transporting the stern of the sunken South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan to shallow waters say the broken section of the vessel showed apparent signs of a huge impact from the outside. "It looked like something hit it really hard," said Chung Sung-chul of 88 Underwater Development, a private contractor handling the salvage operations. "The severed edges didn't look smooth, but were tattered and torn." Kim Tae-won, a retired Navy officer and representative of the families of the missing sailors, told the Chosun Ilbo in an interview, "An explosion appears to have occurred beneath the port side of the vessel." Kim added, "All of the sailors aboard the engine room on the first floor on the port side are missing, but those on the starboard side on the basement floor are all alive. I think the cause of the sinking was a torpedo."

The broken section of the Cheonan that was visible above the surface when it was transported to shallow waters showed that the top portion of the vessel had disappeared, while the left side of the tracking radar was dented. Two ship-to-ship missiles and three torpedoes that were situated behind the top section of the vessel were gone. But judging by the fact that a 76 mm cannon on top of the deck was unscathed, there appears to be little chance that ammunition stored underneath the gun had exploded. If the hull had split due to metal fatigue or had been punctured by a reef or submerged rock, the severed section should not appear ragged, and no missiles and torpedoes should be missing. The only possibility left is that the Cheonan received a huge blow from the outside.

Civilian salvage experts are said to have proposed using two chains 9 cm in diameter to transport the stern to shallow waters. But the Navy chose to use one more sturdy chain to move the stern, even if that meant delaying the process several more days. Speedy progress in investigating the cause of the sinking is important, but a deliberate, safe salvage is even more important. Salvage officials must make sure chains are not severed or the stern is dropped into the depths again by mistake in the process.

There seem to be a lot of differing views about whether to reveal the broken section of the vessel. Military officials are said to oppose showing the broken section, saying that exposing the bodies of the dead sailors would be devastating for their families, and images of the destruction would impact troop morale. There are also fears that top secret information about Navy ships may be captured on camera.

But it is better to show the broken section to the public after the bodies of the sailors are recovered. There appears to be little chance of any more sensitive information being exposed by allowing the public to view the broken section considering that the blueprint of the Cheonan has already been made public.

All kinds of rumors spread about what caused the Cheonan to sink. Most of them were put to rest following a press conference by the survivors last Wednesday. Remaining speculation and groundless conspiracy theories will be dispelled by showing the broken section of the vessel to the public. President Lee Myung-bak has pledged to respond "in a firm manner" after the results of the investigation. But in order to do that, the president needs the undivided support of the public, which is only possible if the military gains the public's trust. There is no reason for the government to look as if it is hiding something.