North Korea’s Kim Jong Un lauds restored destroyer, says more to be built
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Mr Kim Jong Un called for the North to strengthen its maritime military presence in the Pacific Ocean.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to keep building a more modern navy fleet to enhance the country’s maritime power as he attended the launching ceremony for a warship that was repaired after its earlier failed launch, state media outlet KCNA said on June 13.
Satellite images had shown ongoing repairs of the 5,000-ton destroyer that had partially capsized in May, after Mr Kim called the accident a “criminal act” and ordered its restoration before a party meeting in June.
Mr Kim said the restoration of the destroyer “had not delayed” North Korea’s attempts to enhance naval power, and said plans were in place “to build two more 5,000-ton destroyers next year”, KCNA said.
North Korea has detained several officials since the initial failed launch of the destroyer, the largest warship Pyongyang has ever built.
Mr Kim called for the country to strengthen its maritime military presence in the Pacific Ocean in the face of what he said were provocations by the US and its allies, KCNA said.
“Soon, enemies will experience themselves how provocative and unpleasant it is to sit and watch the ships of an adversary run rampant on the fringes of sovereign waters,” he said in a speech at the ceremony, according to KCNA.
“I’m sure that in the near future, the routes of our battleships... will be opened on the Pacific Ocean towards the outposts of aggression.”
Mr Kim also said a shipyard worker had died in their “destroyer construction battle” a few days before the launch, and awarded a “patriotic sacrifice certificate” to the man’s family.
The relaunch of the vessel, just three weeks after the initial failure, is probably an indication that the damage to the vessel was relatively minor in nature, a Washington think-tank said.
Satellite imagery showed the vessel’s gun turret in place, but hatches for the vertical launch systems were covered, making it unclear whether the systems had been completely installed, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report.
Pyongyang’s plan to build more destroyers could “further complicate US and allied missile defence in the region”, CSIS said. REUTERS
