U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is urging North Korea to halt its policy of threats and belligerence in regards to the North’s sinking of the “Cheonan” warship.

At a news conference in Seoul after talks with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan on Wednesday, Clinton said the international community should not turn a blind eye to the North’s provocations.

She said that the international independent investigation into the incident was "objective, the evidence overwhelming and the conclusion inescapable" and that Washington supports Seoul’s decision to bring the sinking to the United Nations Security Council.

She and President Lee Myung-bak expressed support for “strategic patience” in dealing with the incident.

About China, the U.S. secretary of state said that Beijing also understands the gravity of the issue, and that it appears ready to listen to Seoul and Washington’s concerns.

Clinton arrived in Seoul on Wednesday morning and met with President Lee Myung-bak and Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan to discuss responses to the sinking of the Cheonan. She departed the nation Wednesday afternoon.