NORTH Korea has arrested three shipyard bosses after a humiliating warship launch flop that Kim Jong-un called a “criminal act”.
The destroyer, weighing 5,000 tonnes and considered a representation of military strength, was unexpectedly damaged and leaning to one side after a well-publicized launch in the harbor of Chongjin last Wednesday.
According to state media reports on Sunday, three individuals – the chief engineer Kang Jong Chol, the head of the hull workshop Han Kyong Hak, and the deputy manager Kim Yong Hak – were arrested in connection with the “severe incident.”
Kim Jong-un, who watched the botched launch unfold in person, reportedly fumed that the fiasco had “damaged the country’s dignity”.
The Pyongyang tyrant has since ordered the ship to be restored by next month’s ruling party meeting, with repairs already under way.
KCNA labeled the event as “a deliberate act stemming from complete negligence” and stressed that the responsible parties “cannot avoid being held accountable for their actions.”
Satellite images showed the vessel lying on its side, covered in blue tarps.
The stern appeared to have slipped into the water while the bow remained on the shipway – a spectacle experts say amplified the embarrassment for the regime.
“No matter how good the state of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unpardonable criminal act remains unchanged,” KCNA added.
South Korea’s military, citing joint analysis with US intelligence, said Pyongyang’s side-launch attempt of the ship had failed and left it crippled.
