SEOULl - South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak has said there must be "no suspicion or negligence" in the probe into what sank a warship off the coast last week.

Rescue teams are still searching for 46 missing sailors but have detected no signs of life inside the ship.

Search efforts have been suspended for a second time, due to poor weather conditions and high waves.

US ships are involved in the operation and President Barack Obama has offered to send further help if needed.

The 1,200-tonne corvette, the Cheonan, sank after an explosion on Friday near Baengnyeong Island, close to the border with North Korea.

Seoul has said it is not clear what caused the explosion and has stressed there is no indication of North Korean involvement, although the defence minister has said a mine could be to blame.

Mr Lee said the issue was "a very sensitive and important question", Yonhap news agency reported.

He said Seoul would "find the cause through a thorough and scientific investigation" and that there should be "no suspicion or negligence" in the investigation.

"That is the way for South Korea to gain trust in the international community," he said.

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