North Korea's second warship was damaged during its launch this week, state media reported on Thursday. It is the latest embarrassment for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who is pushing to modernize his naval force, the agency reported. "AP".
It is not common for North Korea to admit military-related failures, but observers say the revelation of this failure shows that Kim Jong Un is serious about naval progress.
During the launch event at the northeastern port of Chongjin on Wednesday, the newly built 5000-ton destroyer lost balance and suffered damage to its bottom during the launch, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
KCNA did not provide details on what caused the problem, how severe the damage is or whether anyone was injured.
According to KCNA, Kim Jong Un, who was present at the ceremony, blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for a "serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism."
He said the ship must be restored before a key party meeting in June and those involved in the ship's design will be held accountable for the incident, which he said "seriously damaged the dignity and pride of the nation."
"It's a shameful thing. But the reason North Korea disclosed the incident is that it wants to show that it is accelerating the modernization of its naval force and expresses its confidence that it can build a larger naval force," said Moon Keun-sik, a naval expert who teaches at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea.
Moon suspects the incident occurred because North Korean workers are not yet familiar with such a large warship and were rushed into launching it.
The damaged ship is likely to be of the same category as the country's first destroyer, unveiled on April 25, which experts have described as North Korea's largest and most advanced warship to date.
Kim called the first ship, named Choe Hyon - after a famous Korean guerrilla fighter during the Japanese colonial period - a major asset in advancing his goals of expanding the military's operational range and nuclear strike capabilities.
State media described the ship as designed to handle various weapons systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons, as well as ballistic and cruise missiles with the capacity to carry nuclear warheads.
Kim said the ship was expected to enter active duty early next year and later oversaw missile launch tests from the warship.
Lee Sung Joon, spokesman for the North Korean Army's General Staff, said on Thursday that the damaged ship was likely equipped with similar systems and remains capsized at sea.
North Korea's report came after recent commercial satellite images showed the country was building its second destroyer at a shipyard in Chongjin.
Hours after the report about the damaged destroyer was released, North Korea fired several cruise missiles from an area near the northeastern city of Sondok, the South Korean military said.
