North Korea holds launch ceremony for restored destroyer, state TV reports
North Korea's state-run media has reported that a launch ceremony was held on Thursday for a restored destroyer. The vessel had tipped onto its side and partially submerged following a failed launch last month.
Korean Central Television reported that the ceremony took place at the Rajin Dockyard in the country's northeast following the completion of repairs.
After the May 21 accident, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered that the destroyer be repaired before the ruling party central committee's plenary meeting scheduled for late June.
Kim, who attended the event, revealed that the new destroyer is a Choe Hyon-class vessel -- the 5,000-ton warship that North Korea launched in April.
He 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."
Kim also revealed that his country will build two new destroyers of the same or even larger class every year, expressing his intention to boost naval capabilities, including securing strategic abilities in the Pacific.
South Korea's Unification Ministry noted that no external defects were confirmed on the newly launched destroyer but said it is necessary to carefully monitor whether the vessel functions properly.
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