SEOUL: North Korea has arrested several top engineers after a new warship failed during its launch, state media said on Sunday. 

The accident of the the 5,000-tonne warship happened in front of leader Kim Jong Un and badly damaged the country’s image. Kim has promised strong punishment for those responsible.

The mishap likely occurred in front of a large crowd at the northeastern port of Chongjin, increasing the public humiliation for Kim, who had been trying to show off military might, experts say.

As the investigation into the case intensified, law enforcement authorities arrested the chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard, among others, state KCNA news agency reported on Sunday.

Satellite imagery shows the warship, covered in blue tarps, lying on its side, with the stern swung out into the harbour, but the bow remaining on the side slipway, according to the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Kim has ordered the ship to be restored before a ruling party meeting in June. KCNA said the rehabilitation plan was pushing ahead.

Against US military buildup in the region, North Korea’s armed forces “will thoroughly contain and control all sorts of military threats from the enemy countries”, KCNA said in a separate dispatch citing the policy chief at the defence ministry.