S. Korea, Japan, China discuss region

GYEONGJU, South Korea, May 15 (UPI) -- South Korean, Japanese and Chinese diplomats met Saturday in South Korea to discuss regional cooperation, officials said.

The topics at the meeting in Gyeongju in the southern part of the country included the recent sinking of a South Korean warship and North Korea's nuclear actions, Yonhap news agency reported.

The sinking of the Cheonan, with 46 South Korean sailors killed, near the North Korean border has heightened tensions, the report said.

"We expressed our sympathies over the loss of many lives due to the sinking of South Korean naval ship Cheonan on March 26, and exchanged our views on the incident," South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said. Yonhap reported he appeared at a joint press conference after the talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Yonhap said a team of experts from South Korea, the United States, Australia, Britain and Sweden was looking into the possibility a torpedo attack sank the 1,200-ton vessel. If the torpedo attack is confirmed, Yonhap said, it could be used as evidence of North Korea's suspected involvement.