North Korea has detained shipyard officials responsible for a recent majoraccidentduring thelaunch of a new warship, state media said on Sunday. The failed launch that crippled the 5,000-tonne warship was witnessed byleader Kim Jong Unwho said the accident damaged the country's dignity and vowed to punish those found responsible. The mishap likely occurred in front of a large crowd at the northeastern port of Chongjin, increasing the publichumiliation for Kimwho tried to show off military might, experts say. As theinvestigationinto 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 harbor, but the bow remaining on the side slipway, according to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Kim has ordered the ship restored before a ruling party meeting in June. KCNA said the rehabilitation plan was pushing ahead. Against U.S. 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 defense ministry. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:North Korea arrests officials over accident during new warship launch
