North Korea: North Korea has launched a full-scale investigation into the recent warship accident that occurred during the destroyer's launch but said the extent of the damage is "not serious," state media reported Friday. Part of a newly built 5,000-ton destroyer was damaged during the launch ceremony in the eastern port city of Chongjin on Wednesday, an accident that the North's leader Kim Jong-un slammed as a "criminal act" that cannot be tolerated.
According to Yonhap News Agency, "Detailed underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship's bottom," stated the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The hull's starboard was scratched, and some amount of seawater flowed into the stern section through the "rescue channel," it added.
A group of investigators reported to the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party that it will take two or three days to keep the balance of the warship by pumping out the seawater from the flooded chamber, and some 10 days might be needed to restore the warship's side. The commission assessed that "the extent of the damage to the warship is not serious" but instructed them to determine the exact cause of the accident and those responsible for it.
The commission further elaborated, "Regarding this accident as a serious matter is not because of the damage to the warship or economic loss. The aim of doing so is to deal a telling blow to incautiousness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricist attitude prevailing in any field and to sound an alarm bell."
North Korea stated that Hong Kil-ho, manager of the Chongjin Shipyard, was summoned Thursday to the law enforcement organ as it kicked off the procedures for detaining and investigating those who are clearly responsible for the accident. Additionally, North Korea said Thursday some sections of the warship's bottom were "crushed" in the course of the launch, destroying the balance of the destroyer. The South Korean military observed that the North appears to have failed in using a side launching technique and the destroyer remains partially capsized in the sea.
The North fired multiple cruise missiles into the East Sea on Thursday after its state media reported the warship accident.