United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said he hoped the international community would take "major steps" to address the sinking of a South Korean naval ship.

"It is the responsibility of the international community to address this issue properly, consistent with the charter of the United Nations," Ban told reporters during his monthly press conference. "I really hope that, first of all we should not repeat the reoccurrence of things, and there must be some major steps to be taken."

International investigators have concluded that a submarine belonging to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) torpedoed a South Korean navy warship in late March, killing 46 sailors near a disputed maritime border between the two countries.

"The evidence is quite compelling," Ban said. "There is no controversy."

The secretary-general, who is a South Korean, called the incident "one of most serious provocations in recent days."

Ban has a long history working on inter-Korean relations. Before joining the United Nations, he served as Vice-Chair of the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission.

As foreign minister, he played a leading role in bringing about another landmark agreement aimed at promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula with the adoption at the six-party talks of the Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

"There was high expectation in the international community that through the joint statement of the six-party talks that people saw some hope that Korea would be denuclearized," he said. "I have a very strong attachment and even a sense of responsibility to do."

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