South Korea has called off a rescue operation...

The 1,200 ton Navy corvette Cheonan with 104 crew members on board sank in unexplained circumstances on March 26 near the disputed maritime border with North Korea. A total of 46 sailors are still missing.

Yonhap said families of the lost sailors asked the military to suspend the operation for fear of additional casualties.

"We called off a rescue operation... at 11pm [14:00 GMT Saturday] following the request from the relatives," the navy spokesman was quoted by the BBC as saying. He said the operation will now focus on salvaging the wreck.

Earlier, Yonhap said the South Korean military had recovered the body of a crew member of a fishing boat that is believed to have sunk while returning from a search for clues to last week"s naval disaster.

The ship was reportedly lost several hours after it concluded its search.

The March 26 incident forced South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to convene two emergency security meetings. The president ordered

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