Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan says the six-party denuclearization talks are unlikely to resume anytime soon if it is proven that North Korea was involved in the sinking of South Korea’s Cheonan naval ship.

He said that if the Cheonan’s sinking is proven to be of North Korea’s doing, it would not be conducive to creating an atmosphere for the resumption of the talks, as the North would have to be punished for such a move.

Yu said that bringing the issue to the U.N. Security Council is an option if the North is proven to have been behind the incident.

However, strengthening combined defense preparedness with the U.S. would be the most effective response. He added that bilateral measures or multilateral measures involving nations such as China and Russia would also be necessary.