North Korea arrests engineers after warship crashes at launch

SEOUL: North Korea has arrested a group of engineers after a new warship crashed during its launch, state media said on Sunday. 

The 5,000-tonne warship accident happened in front of leader Kim Jong Un, who said it was a big embarrassment for the country. He has promised to punish those responsible and ordered the ship to be fixed quickly.

The mishap likely occurred in front of a large crowd at the northeastern port of Chongjin, increasing the public humiliation for Kim, who had been trying to show off military might, experts say.

As the investigation into the case intensified, law enforcement authorities arrested the chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard, among others, state KCNA news agency reported on Sunday.

Satellite imagery shows the warship, covered in blue tarps, lying on its side, with the stern swung out into the harbour, but the bow remaining on the side slipway, according to the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Kim has ordered the ship to be restored before a ruling party meeting in June. KCNA said the rehabilitation plan was pushing ahead.

Against US military buildup in the region, North Korea’s armed forces “will thoroughly contain and control all sorts of military threats from the enemy countries”, KCNA said in a separate dispatch citing the policy chief at the defence ministry.