North Korea has announced an investigation into the failed launch of a new naval destroyer which infuriated leader Kim Jong Un and was deemed an “unpardonable criminal act”.
Satellite images from the site of Wednesday’s launch showed the 5,000-tonne vessel lying on its side and most of its hull submerged in water.
In a rare admission of failure, Mr Kim, who was present for the launch at the northeastern port of Chongjin, fumed at the “absolute carelessness” and “irresponsibility” shown by multiple state institutions tasked with the job.
The Central Military Commission, the apex military affairs body in the country, said on Friday that the damage was “not serious” and could be repaired in about 10 days, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
An underwater inspection of the ship confirmed there were no holes at the bottom of the warship as found in the initial assessment.
The commission said the hull on the starboard side was scratched and some seawater had flowed into the stern section.
“Experts estimate that it will take two or three days to keep the balance of the warship by pumping up seawater from the flooded chamber and making the bow leave the slipway and 10-odd days to restore the warship's side,” the KCNA report said.
The military commission, however, told investigators that the failure couldn’t be tolerated. No matter how good the state of the warship, it said, 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”.
At the launch ceremony, the ship slid off its ramp and became stuck after the flatcar failed to move alongside it, throwing off its balance and crushing parts of the bottom, according to the KCNA.
The accident is an embarrassing setback for Mr Kim who sees naval advancement as key to North Korea’s power projection.
Mr Kim blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for what he described as a “serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism”.
Analysts said it was the North's biggest and most advanced warship to date and was likely built with Russian assistance.
The vessel, likely of the same class as the destroyer unveiled last month, was intended to be North Korea's second major naval surface ship revealed in rapid succession.
In April, Mr Kim unveiled the country's first newly built destroyer in decades, Choe Hyon, and announced his ambition to construct additional destroyers as well as various cruisers and frigates.
Pyongyang was preparing the new destroyer for launch with a method it has rarely used, 38 North, a website focused on North Korea, had assessed last week.
It said the ship was being prepared to be launched sideways from the quay while the previous destroyer launched at the western shipyard of Nampo used a floating dry dock.
