A new North Korean war ship was damaged in a “serious accident” during a launch ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Thursday, in a rare admission of failure for the secret state of nuclear weapons.
The 5,000 -ton destroyer slipped from a flat treatment due to the “inexperienced command and the operational carelessness in the course of the launch,” according to the Central News Agency of Korea, crushing parts of the lower part of the ship.
The incident on Wednesday in the Northeast port of Chongjin is a blow to Kim, who has emphasized the importance of such destroyers to advance the military capabilities of North Korea.
Kim described the accident as a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness” that “could not be tolerated,” Kcna said.
He censored the officials involved in the accident, which said “brought the dignity and respect of our state to a collapse,” and said that the ship should be restored before the plenary meeting next month of the central committee of the ruling workers party.
The North Korean report did not say if there were victims.
