North Korea has launched an investigation into the “serious accident” that derailed the launch of a new warship this week, according to state media, signaling a likely effort to scapegoat lower-level officials in response to Kim Jong Un’s fury over the high-profile failure. 

The accident investigation group comprising “a public prosecutors organ and relevant experts” began a full-scale investigation into the accident that took place during the launch ceremony at Chongjin Shipyard on Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.

The team reportedly conducted underwater and internal inspections and concluded that there were no holes at the bottom of the naval destroyer, but it found that the starboard (right-hand side) of the hull was scratched and “a certain amount of seawater” had flowed into the vessel’s stern section.

According to KCNA, the experts assessed that it may take two or three days to rebalance the warship by pumping seawater from the flooded chamber and detaching the bow from the slipway used to move the vessel to the water, and roughly 10 days to restore the warship’s damaged side.

The report did not touch upon possible issues with the use of a side-launch method off Chongjin Shipyard’s pier, a technique the DPRK is not known to have used for warships previously.

The investigation comes after the botched launch of the new 5,000-ton-class destroyer at the eastern port of Chongjin, with state media initially reporting that the ship’s hull was damaged when the stern launching ramp “detached prematurely and ran aground.”

In its report on Thursday, the party-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun blamed “inexperienced command and operational carelessness during the launch” for the “grave” accident. The North Korean leader condemned the failed launch, which he was present for, as a “criminal act” that must be punished.

Based on the investigators’ report, the ruling party’s Central Military Commission (CMC) assessed that the destroyer did not suffer severe damage and will not lead to “economic loss,” but stressed that the accident must be treated as a “serious matter” to uncover the causes and hold those responsible to account.

“No matter how good the state of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unpardonable criminal act remains unchanged, and those responsible for it can never evade their responsibility for the crime,” the commission said.

The CMC reportedly instructed the investigation group to uncover the accident’s cause in order to “deal a telling blow to incautiousness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricist attitude” that led to the high-profile failure.

Law enforcement authorities have since started “restraining and investigating those who are clearly responsible for the accident,” according to KCNA, and summoned Chongjin Shipyard’s manager Hong Kil Ho on Thursday.

State media’s explicit identification of Hong as a subject of the investigation suggests that he may be used as a scapegoat for the failure that angered the leader, while shifting blame away from the DPRK’s top leadership.

Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University and director of Korea Risk Group, previously told NK News that the very public reporting of the accident and Kim’s displeasure signaled harsh consequences for those deemed responsible.

“It probably means North Korea is going to lose some of its best naval engineers,” he said.

The failed launch would have been particularly embarrassing for Kim as he has pursued an ambitious modernization of North Korea’s antiquated navy in recent years. Following the accident he ordered officials and engineers to restore the warship before a ruling party plenum in late June.

Since Thursday, satellite images have shown the vessel lying in the water on its side while still partially connected to the shipyard’s quay. The ship appears to be covered in several blue tarpaulin sheets, while numerous small boats swarm around it to carry out repairs in line with the leader’s directive.

Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, an associate professor at Tokyo International University’s Institute for International Strategy, told NK News the tarpaulin’s use is likely aimed at preventing outsiders from obtaining sensitive information.

“Much of it is to cover details that could give away specs of the ship and equipment installed, such as what the ship is capable of and also any hints that could be used to detect and track it,” he said.

He added that satellite images show the tarpaulin extending beyond the ship, suggesting North Korean authorities may also be trying to cover up operations and equipment along the dock.

Anton Sokolin contributed reporting to this article. Edited by Alannah Hill