North Korea said Friday it has launched a 5,000-ton destroyer that was damaged during its first launch attempt in May after repair work, with leader Kim Jong-un attending the launching ceremony and unveiling a plan to build two more such destroyers next year.
The launch ceremony was held at the Rajin shipyard the previous day, overseen by Kim, Yonhap news agency reported quoting Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The destroyer is named the Kang Kon, North Korea's first chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army and was killed in action during the Korean War.
"In about two weeks, the vessel was brought upright safely and set afloat, accomplishing its complete restoration today as planned," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying at the ceremony.He again denounced the accident during the first launch attempt as an "intolerable" criminal act that "plunged the country's honor and pride at once."
In late May, the 5,000-ton destroyer tipped over and became partially submerged during the launch ceremony in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. Kim blamed the accident on "absolute carelessness" and "irresponsibility" and ordered the ship's restoration before a key party meeting set for late June.
Since then, the vessel has been relocated from Chongjin to the Rajin shipyard, where a dry dock is in place, for restoration.Kim also announced the Central Military Commission's approval of a plan to build two more 5,000-ton-class destroyers next year.
The North Korean leader cited threats from the United States and other hostile countries as the reason for the country's destroyer construction, warning it will respond with "corresponding" might and "absolute military actions," effectively rejecting Washington's recent dialogue overture.
"The provocative intentions of the US military and its follower countries have become even more explicit recently, and the level of threats to our security has clearly surpassed the dangerous limit," Kim noted."
In response to an invasive adversary, we will react with corresponding might each time and take absolute military actions," the North Korean leader warned. His message came shortly after a media report revealed that US President Donald Trump had attempted to send a letter to Kim via North Korean diplomats in New York, but they refused to accept it.
South Korea's unification ministry noted the absence of hostile remarks toward Seoul when Kim spoke about military threats during the ceremony, assessing that the North may be exercising caution in inter-Korean relations following the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration.
Departing from his predecessor's hard-line policy, Lee has pledged to ease tensions and seek dialogue with Pyongyang to reduce military threats, and has suspended the military's anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and urged a halt to leaflet campaigns by activists since taking office.
"We take note that there were no South Korea-related remarks while Chairman Kim talked about military tensions in contrast to the launch of the destroyer Choe Hyon on April 25," Chang Yoon-jeong, a unification deputy spokesperson, said at a press briefing.
At the April launch ceremony, North Korea accused both South Korea and the US of escalating security tensions and provocations, mentioning them on nine occasions, whereas South Korea was entirely omitted this time.
The ministry described the change as part of North Korea's possible efforts "to cautiously manage its messaging toward South Korea in light of the changed situation on the Korean Peninsula and in inter-Korean relations since the launch of the new administration."
Chang added the latest launch ceremony appears aimed at publicising the vessel's timely restoration as ordered by Kim and saving face following the accidental damage.The ministry also noted there's a need to confirm whether the restored destroyer is fully operational, although no apparent defects are visible in its appearance.
The ministry said it will monitor whether the North conducts a live-fire drill involving the new vessel to demonstrate its capabilities, referring to a similar drill carried out with the destroyer Choe Hyon three days after its launch.
During his speech, Kim also disclosed the death of a dockyard manager in the aftermath of the first failed launch attempt, voicing condolences and promising to recognise him as a patriotic victim.