State media KCNA reported a serious accident occurred Wednesday as the new North Korean warship began, and leader Kim Jong-un participated in the event, which he called an intolerable “crime”.
Kim said Kim witnessed the failure of the 4,500-ton destroyer, who said the incident was caused by “carelessness” that damaged the country's dignity and ordered the ship to be restored before a meeting of the main ruling party in June, KCNA said Thursday.
The report did not mention whether there were any casualties.
The incident at the eastern port of Gyeongjin was caused by the loss of balance when the ship was launched, and said that the parts of the bottom of the warship were crushed, but did not give more details about the damage caused.
The report notes that Kim Jong Il “has serious accidents against serious accidents and criminal acts, which are caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism, which is impossible and intolerable.”
State dignity “collapses”: King
King said the accident “destroyed our nation’s dignity and self-esteem.” He said the immediate recovery of destroyers was “not only a practical issue, but a political issue directly related to state authority.”
South Korean military said the shocked warship was sideways in the water after the failed launch.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have been monitoring the activities, Seoul chief of staff spokesman Lee Sung-Jun told the briefing.
The rare public disclosure accident was in a report about the launch of another destroyer of similar size at the West Coast shipyard in Nampo in April. Kim also participated in the release.
North Korea has had accidents such as the failure of space launch vehicles and civilian disasters before, and has been used to promote the role of leadership and the ruling Workers’ Party in correcting problems.
North Korea launched more than 4,500 tons of destroyers this year, the country's largest warship to date.
In a report last week on the recent preparations released, U.S.-based 38 North said the ship appeared to be detached from the dock, a side launch of Quay, a method that North Korea had not previously observed.
“Using this launch method may be necessary because the dock where the ship is constructed has no inclination,” North reported.
The day before launch, commercial satellite images from the shipyard showed that the destroyer was placed next to the dock with a support ship.
A North Korean expert in Seoul said Pyongyang's disclosure was surprisingly rapid.
“This once again shows Kim Jong Un's style of dominance, which is to cut negative rumors more effectively by opening it up to it rather than hiding it,” said Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute.
