has initiated a probe into an accident that occurred during the this week, state media reported Friday, after leader deemed the incident criminal negligence.
On Thursday, Pyongyang reported that sections of the bottom of the newly built 5,000-ton naval destroyer were crushed during the Wednesday launch ceremony of the ship at the northeastern port of Chongji.
The damage occurred due to a transport cradle on the vessel’s stern detaching early, state media said.
What did North Korean officials say about the accident?
The country’s Central Military Commission summoned Hong Kil Ho, the manager of Chongji the shipyard, as it began investigations into the incident, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Friday.
“No matter how good the state of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unpardonable criminal act remains unchanged, and those responsible for it can never evade their responsibility for the crime,” the official news agency cited the commission as saying.
Kim — who observed the launch — blasted military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for the incident which he called a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness”.
Damage ‘not serious’
North Korea had earlier called the incident “serious,” but on Friday KCNA said that an “underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship’s bottom”.
“The hull starboard was scratched and a certain amount of seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel,” the state news agency said.
It added that the damage to the vessel was “not serious”.
The report said that it would take nearly 10 days to repair the vessel’s side.
The assessments could not be verified due to the isolated nation’s reticent nature.
South Korea’s military said earlier that based on the ship’s size and scale, it is believed to be similarly equipped to the Choe Hyon, a destroyer-class vessel that the North unveiled last month.
Analysts say it is North Korea’s biggest and most advanced warship to date.
Seoul claims the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russia’s help, possibly in exchange for North Korea in its war with Ukraine.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
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