Exit strategy

Observers have said Seoul seems to be seeking an "exit strategy " from a diplomatic standoff with Pyongyang over the warship sinking after the UN Security Council came out with its response to the sinking.

The DPRK and China have advocated the idea of reviving the moribund six-party nuclear talks, which some say might prove to be a possible exit from the Cheonan fiasco that ratcheted up tensions on the divided Korean peninsula.

Washington and Seoul, however, made it clear that they are not considering the denuclearization talks for now.

"Authorities in South Korea and the U.S. agree that we haven't reached a phase yet where we can consider the so-called Exit Strategy," South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters in the press conference.

Still, the United States left some room open for Pyongyang.

"These measures are not directed at the people of North Korea, who have suffered too long due to the misguided priorities of their government," Clinton said, adding the administration of President Barak Obama has made it clear that there is a "path open to the DPRK" to achieve security and respect.

"North Korea can cease its provocative behavior, halt its threats and belligerence towards its neighbors, take irreversible steps to fulfill its denuclearization commitments and comply with international law," she said.

For its part, Pyongyang said following the UN statement that it will continue its efforts for denuclearization on the Korean peninsula and a peace treaty with South Korea to replace a ceasefire by returning to the six-way talks.

Future of alliance

Analysts agreed that the unprecedented security talks showed Washington's foursquare support for its Asian ally.

Still, some voiced concern. "South Korea and the U.S. sternly dealt with the Cheonan incident, but Seoul's single-minded focus on resolving the issue, which is a short-term goal, might not necessarily be beneficial in the long run," said Paik Hak-soon, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute near Seoul. Seoul might have missed a chance to take initiatives in other long-term goals, such as Pyongyang's denuclearization, he said.

A hidden agenda for the two-plus-two talks might have been cooperation between Seoul and Washington on reshaping the regional order in Northeast Asia in the post-Cheonan era, some said.

As the United States seeks to maintain its leadership in the region in the face of China's rising global status, Washington is looking at the Cheonan incident as a catalyst for a new order in which it will remain a powerful voice, they said.