North Korea has detained shipyard officials responsible for a recent failed launch of a new warship that left a 5,000-ton North Korean naval destroyer damaged, according to state media.
Law enforcement officials arrested the chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard, among others, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday.
Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un was reportedly distraught after he witnessed the failed launch that mangled the warship, saying the accident damaged the country’s dignity and promising to punish those responsible.
SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL NORTH KOREA’S MANGLED NAVAL DESTROYER AFTER FAILED LAUNCH
The accident happened on Wednesday at the northeastern port of Chongjin, likely in front of a large crowd and thus increasing the public humiliation as Kim sought to show off his military’s force.
Kim has reportedly blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for a “serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism.”
Satellite imagery shows the warship covered in blue tarps and lying on its side with the stern swung out into the harbor. The bow remained on the launch slipway.
KIM JONG UN LEFT FUMING AFTER NORTH KOREA’S NEW DESTROYER DAMAGED IN FAILED LAUNCH
A flatcar guiding the ship had failed to move during the launch, throwing the warship off balance and crushing parts of its bottom before the stern eventually slid down the launch slipway into the water.
Kim has ordered the ship to be restored before a ruling party meeting in June.
The rehabilitation plan was moving forward, KCNA reported.
North Korea’s armed forces “will thoroughly contain and control all sorts of military threats from the enemy countries,” amid U.S. military buildup in the region, according to KCNA, citing the policy chief at the defense ministry.
Under Kim’s rule, North Korea has focused on building an arsenal of military weapons in what it views as a response to Western aggression.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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