June 13 (UPI) -- North Korea successfully launched a 5,000-ton destroyer that was damaged during its first launch attempt last month, state-run media reported Friday, with leader Kim Jong Un in attendance and vowing to build two more warships next year.
The launch ceremony was held Thursday at the Rajin Shipyard, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
Kim witnessed the destroyer's botched launch on May 21, and called it a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism which is out of the bounds of possibility and could not be tolerated."
He demanded that the warship be restored by the start of a ruling party congress in late June and warned of serious consequences for those found responsible for the launch mishap.
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At least four officials have been arrested so far, including vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department Ri Hyong Son, according to state media.
The capsized ship, named the Kang Kon, was raised at Chongjin Shipyard last week and moved to the Rajin site on the northeastern tip of the country for repair.
In remarks delivered at the ceremony Thursday, Kim said that the failed launch "impaired the dignity and prestige of the country," but claimed that it had not impeded the country's naval modernization goals.
"No obstacle could delay the important course of bolstering up the naval combat power," Kim said, according to KCNA.
"We safely raised and floated the ship in just two weeks after the accident, and today, we have concluded the complete restoration as planned," he claimed.
It is unclear whether the ship has been fully repaired or when it will be ready for use.
"The vessel has yet to undergo critical phases before it can be deemed operational," the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a report Thursday. "It will require considerable time to complete fitting out, manufacturer's trials and navy acceptance trials before being committed to operations."
The Kang Kon was the second warship introduced by North Korea in recent months, following the launch of its 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer at the Nampo Shipyard on April 25. That vessel is armed with a wide range of weapons, including supersonic cruise missiles and strategic cruise missiles, according to North Korean reports.
Photos released by the North showed that the Choe Hyon's missile and radar systems resemble those found on Russian vessels, prompting speculation that Pyongyang received technical assistance from Moscow in its development.
North Korea has deployed troops, artillery and weapons to Russia to aid in Moscow's war against Ukraine, and is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs.
In his remarks at the launch ceremony, Kim said the North "will continue to commission two destroyers of the same class or higher into the navy every year."
He cited growing threats from the United States and its allies as a primary reason for the country's warship construction plans.
"Recently, the provocative intentions of the United States and its military forces have become more and more hostile, and the level of threats to our safety has clearly gone far beyond dangerous limits," Kim said. "Having ocean-going operational capability and exercising naval power in the ocean is an essential choice to protect national sovereignty and security interests."
