SEOUL: A North Korean naval destroyer damaged in a botched launch last month has been relaunched, with leader Kim Jong Un presiding over the ceremony, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported early Friday, citing the North’s state media.
The ceremony for the ship baptized the Kang Kon was held on Thursday at the Rajin shipyard, Yonhap reported — up the coast from where the botched launch occurred.
Last month, Pyongyang had said “a serious accident” happened in a May 21 attempt to launch the 5,000-ton destroyer in the northeastern port city of Chongjin, with the mishap crushing sections of the bottom of the newly built ship.
Kim called the incident a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness” and state media reported the arrest of four officials in connection with the botched launch.
The South Korean military estimated that based on its size and scale, the new warship is similarly equipped to the 5,000-ton destroyer-class vessel Choe Hyon, which North Korea unveiled in late April.
Kim has approved a plan to build two more destroyer-class vessels next year, Yonhap quoted KCNA as saying.
