North Korea launches probe into accident during warship's launch

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea has begun a full-scale investigation into the accident that occurred during the launch of a warship this week, state media KCNA reported on Friday.

Pyongyang has said the incident on Wednesday was caused by a loss of balance while the vessel was being launched, and sections of the bottom of the warship were crushed.

An internal inspection found that there were no holes at the warship's bottom, but the starboard hull was scratched and seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel, the report said.

The extent of damage was "not serious," the report said, adding the investigation group was ordered to find the cause of the accident and those responsible for it. The report did not mention any injuries or deaths as a result of the accident.

The isolated state's leader Kim Jong Un, who watched Wednesday's launch of the 5,000-ton destroyer at the northeastern shipyard of Chongjin, berated it as a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated, according to state media.

The mishap likely occurred in front of a large crowd, increasing the public humiliation for Kim, military analysts said.

South Korea's military said on Thursday that the ship was lying on its side in the water.

It would take two to three days to restore the balance of the warship by pumping up seawater from the flooded chamber and around 10 days to restore the warship's side, the KCNA report said, citing experts' estimates.

Treating the accident as a serious matter was part of an effort to fight against "incautiousness" and "irresponsibility," according to KCNA.

Hong Kil Ho, the manager of the Chongjin shipyard, was summoned to the law-enforcement organ on Thursday as it began measures to detain and investigate those responsible for the accident, the report said.

(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Chris Reese and Jamie Freed)