logo
N. Korea detains another official over warship launch accident

N. Korea detains another official over warship launch accident

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the mishap a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness'. (EPA Images pic)
SEOUL : North Korea has detained another official over last week's failed launch of a warship, which damaged the 5,000-ton naval destroyer, state media reported today.
Pyongyang announced 'a serious accident' at Wednesday's launch ceremony, which crushed sections of the bottom of the newly built destroyer.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the mishap a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness'.
Ri Hyong Son, vice department director of the munitions industry department of the party central committee, was summoned and detained yesterday, the Korean Central News Agency reported.
He was 'greatly responsible for the occurrence of the serious accident', it said.
Ri is the fourth person reportedly detained in connection with the accident, following the detention of three individuals over the weekend, including the chief engineer at the shipyard.
KCNA reported on Friday that shipyard manager Hong Kil Ho had been summoned by law enforcement
'At the scene of the destroyer launch accident, the work for completely restoring the balance of the warship is being actively conducted,' KCNA said, adding that it is done 'according to its schedule'.
South Korea's military said that Washington and Seoul's intelligence authorities had assessed that North Korea's 'side-launch attempt' of the ship failed, and the vessel was left listing in the water.
KCNA, however, reported that an 'underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship's bottom', calling the extent of the damage 'not serious'.
The South Korean military estimated that based on its size and scale, the newly built warship is similarly equipped to the 5,000-ton destroyer-class vessel Choe Hyon, which North Korea unveiled last month.
Pyongyang has said the Choe Hyon is equipped with the 'most powerful weapons', and that it would 'enter into operation early next year'.
Seoul's military has said the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian help, possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

S. Korea suspends loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North
S. Korea suspends loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North

Free Malaysia Today

time2 hours ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

S. Korea suspends loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North

Seoul resumed its round-the-clock campaign of loudspeaker broadcasts last July. (Yonhap/EPA Images pic) SEOUL : South Korea's military said today it had suspended loudspeaker broadcasts near the border targeting North Korea, nearly a year after resuming the propaganda and K-pop blasts during a time of growing tension with its neighbour. The step makes good on a promise by president Lee Jae-myung, who took office this month vowing to resume dialogue with the North, suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts and restore a suspended military pact with Pyongyang. In a statement, a defence ministry official said the move aims to 'fulfil the pledge to the public of restoring trust in inter-Korean relations and peace on the Korean peninsula'. Earlier, the Yonhap news agency quoted a military official as saying, 'Loudspeaker broadcasts were suspended following the order of higher-ups.' Seoul's resumption of its round-the-clock campaign of loudspeaker broadcasts last July was in response to Pyongyang's launch of balloons carrying trash over the border, the South's military said then. Pyongyang had said the balloons were retaliation for a propaganda campaign by North Korean defectors and activists in the South who regularly send inflatables with anti-Pyongyang leaflets and other items across the border. After taking the oath of office, Lee said the best security was peace with no need to fight, referring to South Korea's often violent ties with its rival and neighbour.

Israel military says identified body of Hamas chief Mohammed Sinwar
Israel military says identified body of Hamas chief Mohammed Sinwar

Free Malaysia Today

time2 hours ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

Israel military says identified body of Hamas chief Mohammed Sinwar

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 'tens of thousands of terrorists' were eliminated in the Gaza Strip. (AP pic) JERUSALEM : The Israeli military said Sunday that it had located and identified the body of Mohammed Sinwar, presumed leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, three weeks after he was said to have been killed in an air strike. 'In a targeted operation of the IDF (military)… and following the completion of an identification process, it is now confirmed that the body of Mohammed Sinwar was located in the underground tunnel route beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis,' the army said in a statement. The army said that Sinwar was 'eliminated', along with several other members of the militant group, on May 13. 'During searches in the underground tunnel route, several items belonging to Sinwar… were located, along with additional intelligence findings that were transferred for further investigation,' the military said. Army spokesman brigadier general Effie Defrin told journalists who were escorted by Israeli forces to the site on Sunday that Sinwar's body was found 'underneath the hospital, right under the emergency room, a compound, a few rooms'. He added that they had confirmed with 'DNA checks and other checks' that the body was indeed Mohammed Sinwar's. On May 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the military had killed Sinwar, the brother of former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who was also killed by Israeli forces during the Gaza war. 'We drove the terrorists out of our territory, entered the Gaza Strip with force, eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, eliminated… Mohammed Sinwar,' Netanyahu said in an address in Israel's parliament. Mohammed Sinwar's older brother, Yahya Sinwar, accused by Israel of masterminding Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, was killed in October 2024. Experts say it is likely that Mohammed Sinwar took over as the head of the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades, after its leader Mohammed Deif was also killed. After the deaths of several Hamas leaders since October 7, Mohammed Sinwar was thought to be at the heart of decisions on indirect negotiations with Israel, the issue of hostages and the management of Hamas's armed wing. Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the EU, among others.

In KL, ex-international school staff pleads not guilty to CBT, cheating involving over RM142,000
In KL, ex-international school staff pleads not guilty to CBT, cheating involving over RM142,000

Malay Mail

time2 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

In KL, ex-international school staff pleads not guilty to CBT, cheating involving over RM142,000

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — A former employee of an international school pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to three charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM142,354.10 belonging to the school. A. Komala, 33, who served as a parent liaison executive and personal assistant at the time, is accused of misappropriating the sum for personal use at the school located in Persiaran Stonor, Dang Wangi, between June 11 and 28 last year. She was charged under Section 408 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of between one and 14 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction. Komala also faces two counts of cheating two Japanese men by deceiving them into believing that the school fee invoices she issued for their children were legitimate. The alleged deception prompted the victims to transfer RM94,509 and RM47,845.10 respectively into a bank account under a company owned by the accused's husband — payments they would not have made had they not been misled. The offences were allegedly committed at the same place and during the same period. The cheating charges were framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Mohd Radzuan proposed bail at RM30,000 with one surety for all charges, while defence counsel Kelvinder Singh Sindhu appealed for a lower amount, citing that the accused is financially supporting her family. Judge Azrul Darus allowed bail at RM30,000 with one surety and set July 15 for mention. — Bernama

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store