North Korea ‘arrests three over humiliating warship disaster' after Kim Jong-un's vow to punish those behind mishap
The 5,000-tonne destroyer – hailed as a symbol of military might – ended up crushed and listing in the harbour during a high-profile launch in the port city of Chongjin last Wednesday.
State media on Sunday said three officials – chief engineer Kang Jong Chol, hull workshop head Han Kyong Hak, and deputy manager Kim Yong Hak – were detained over the 'serious accident'.
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 said the incident was 'a criminal act caused by absolute carelessness' and insisted those involved 'can never evade their responsibility for the crime'.
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.
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