N.Korea says damaged warship moored at pier after putting it in upright position
North Korea said Friday it has successfully put in an upright position a warship that was partially capsized during a launch ceremony last month, and the warship is moored at the pier for more restoration works.
The 5,000-ton destroyer tipped over and became partially submerged during the launch ceremony held in late May in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the full restoration of the warship before a key party meeting set for late June.
In early June, a North Korean team restored the balance of the warship and moored it at the pier by safely conducting its end launching Thursday afternoon, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
"The team will start the next-stage restoration after the reexamination by a group of experts into the overall hull of the destroyer," the KCNA said.
North Korea said it will carry out detailed restoration work on the destroyer at a drydock in the northeastern port of Rajin, a project that is expected to take seven to 10 days.
The South Korean military said Thursday the North Korean warship that had inclined at the Chongjin port returned to an upright position earlier this week, and that the North is expected to begin to drain water from the warship.
The North's leader Kim witnessed the warship tipping over during the launch ceremony and condemned it as an intolerable "criminal act."
As part of a probe into the warship accident, North Korea has detained some officials, including the vice director of the party's munitions industry department. (Yonhap)
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