SEOUL — 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.
