Tunde Sulaiman 
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has condemned a “serious accident” during the launch of a new warship yesterday, calling it a “criminal act” that could not be tolerated. Parts of the 5,000-ton destroyer’s bottom were crushed, tipping the vessel off balance, state media reported.
Kim, who was present at the launch, has ordered the ship be restored before a key party meeting in June, and for those involved in designing the ship to be held responsible for the incident which he said “severely damaged the dignity and pride of our nation in an instant.”
State media reports did not mention any casualties or injuries as a result of the incident, reports the BBC.
Kim attributed yesterday’s accident, which took place at a shipyard in the eastern port city of Chongjin, to “absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism”.
