North Korea has detained three people over the failed launch of a new warship. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the incident a "criminal act caused by absolute negligence".
The Guardian writes about this.
The incident occurred in the northeastern port of Chongjin on May 21. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) initially reported that a faulty lowering mechanism caused the stern of the 5 000-ton destroyer to slide prematurely into the water. As a result, its hull was crushed and its bow remained on the slipway. However, KCNA later said that the extent of the damage to the destroyer was “insignificant”.
North Korean state media did not release a photo of the accident, but according to the North Korean military, the destroyer capsized on its side in the water.
Those detained include the chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard Kang Jong Chol, the head of the hull construction department Han Kyong Hak and the deputy head of administrative affairs Kim Yong Hak. North Korean propagandists blame them for the accident.
The South Korean military reported that, according to American and South Korean intelligence estimates, North Korea failed to launch the ship sideways, leaving it tilted in the water.
Satellite images show a blue tarpaulin-covered warship lying on its side at a northeastern shipyard in Chongjin.
Kim Jong Un has ordered the ship to be repaired before a June meeting of the Workersʼ Party of Korea. That order is almost impossible to fulfill, experts say — the damage is too severe, and North Korea likely doesnʼt have the equipment to repair it. Sal Mercogliano, a professor at Campbell University in North Carolina, says itʼs unclear whether the Northʼs new destroyers even have engines. The point is, state media hasnʼt published photos of the ships in motion.
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