Pyongyang: North Korea announced Friday that it has successfully righted a warship that partially capsized during its launch ceremony last month, with the vessel now moored at a pier for further restoration efforts.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the 5,000-ton destroyer tipped over and became partially submerged during the late May launch event in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had ordered the full restoration of the warship ahead of an important party meeting scheduled for late June.
In early June, a North Korean team managed to restore the warship's balance and secure it at the pier by conducting an end launching on Thursday afternoon, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The next phase of restoration will begin after a detailed examination of the destroyer's hull by a group of experts.
North Korea plans to execute the detailed restoration work at a drydock in the northeastern port of Rajin, with the project expected to take seven to ten days.
The South Korean military confirmed on Thursday that the North Korean warship, which had tilted at the Chongjin port, returned to an upright position earlier this week. The North is now expected to begin draining water from the vessel.
During the launch ceremony, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed the warship tipping over and condemned the incident as an intolerable "criminal act." In response to the accident, North Korea has detained several officials, including the vice director of the party's munitions industry department.