State media KCNA reported a serious accident occurred during the launch of a new North Korean warship on a new North Korean warship, and leader Kim Jong-un participated in the event, which he called a “criminal act” and could not be tolerated.
Kim witnessed the failure of the 4,500-ton destroyer, which was due to accidents caused by “carelessness” that damage the country's dignity and ordered the ship to be restored at a meeting of the main ruling party in June, which was held in June.
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.
“Kim Jong-un committed serious accidents and criminal acts to the harsh assessment, which was caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism, which is beyond the scope of possibility and intolerable.”
State dignity “collapses”: King
King said the accident “destroyed our nation’s dignity and self-esteem” and immediately restored the destroyer “is not only a practical issue, but a political issue directly related to state authority.”
The rare accident public disclosure was the introduction of another similar-sized destroyer in April, with King attending the meeting at Nampo's West Coast shipyard.
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 preparations for launching the accident ship, the U.S.-based 38 North said the ship appeared to be detached from the dock, a method that was not previously observed in North Korea.
“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.
