South Korea has held a funeral service for the 46 sailors who died when their warship was hit by an unexplained explosion in the Yellow Sea last month.
Mourners placed white carnations in front of portraits of the sailors during the ceremony near the ship's home base of Pyeongtaek, south of the capital, Seoul.
President Lee Myung-bak presented each of the sailors killed in the disaster on 26 March with a posthumous medal of honour.
Mr Lee did not speak publicly at the funeral but met grieving relatives. Last week he had praised the sailors' "lofty sacrifice".
As the sailors' ashes were carried to the Daejeon national cemetery, warships anchored off the coast of Pyeongtaek sounded their whistles and those on board saluted their dead colleagues.
In Baengnyeong island, close to where the 1,200-tonne Cheonan went down last month, a floral wreath was thrown into the ocean. Four of the sailors' bodies have not yet been found.
Mourners paid their respects across the country, including in Seoul, where portraits of the dead sailors have been on display for the past week.
South Korean officials say they have not yet determined what caused the explosion which sank the Cheonan.
North Korea has denied being behind the blast but many in South Korea believe it was responsible for what has been one of the country's worst naval disasters.
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One-Minute World News 
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