JAKARTA - North Korea launched a full-scale investigation into the crash that occurred at the launch of warships this week, state media reported KCNA on Friday.
Pyongyang said Wednesday's incident was caused by a loss of balance when the ship was launched, and several parts of the base of the warship were destroyed.
Internal inspections found that there were no holes at the bottom of the warship, but the right hull was scratched and seawater flowed into the stern through the rescue channel, the report said.
The extent of the damage was "not serious," the report said, adding the investigative group was ordered to find the cause of the accident and those responsible for it.
However, the report did not mention any injuries or deaths from the accident.
Earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who witnessed the launch of a 5,000-ton destroyer on Wednesday at Chongjin's northeastern shipyard, abused him as an intolerable "criminal act", according to state media.
The accident is likely to occur in front of many people, so it is considered to increase public insults to Leader Kim, military analysts said.
It took two to three days to restore the balance of warships by pumping seawater from submerged space and about 10 days to restore the sides of warships, the KCNA report said, citing experts' estimates.
Treating the crash as a serious problem is part of an attempt to counter "disease" and "unresponsible," according to KCNA.
Hong Kil Ho, Chongjin's shipyard manager, was summoned to law enforcement on Thursday as the agency began taking action to detain and investigate those responsible for the crash, the report said.
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The South Korean military said on Thursday the warship was lying tilted in the water.
"The stern part is seen swinging to the port due to the wheeled unit stationed under the framework of sliding into the water while the bow remains on the side sliding path," said US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), citing satellite imagery from Thursday.
Meanwhile, the shipyard in Chongjin mainly produces cargo ships and fishing vessels and "no doubt it has no significant expertise" in launching large warships such as the new destroyer, CSIS added.
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