A launch ceremony for a new North Korean naval destroyer went horribly wrong in front of 'supreme' leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim watched on in horror as the 5,000-ton ship capsized and sank after failing to launch properly.
He declared the mishap a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness' that 'can not be tolerated'.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).confirmed that during the ceremony on 'a serious accident occurred'.
In a statement KCNA said: 'Operational negligence caused the ship to capsize.
Kim said: 'This is a serious accident and criminal act that should not have happened and can not be tolerated'.
A launch ceremony for a new North Korean naval destroyer went horribly wrong in front of 'supreme' leader Kim Jong Un, according to state media.
Kim watched in horror as the 5,000-ton ship was severely damaged after failing to launch properly
The ship that held the launching ceremony this time appears to be of the same class as the 5,000-ton destroyer Choi Hyun-ho that North Korea launched last month.
Jo Chun Ryong, a secretary in the ruling Workers' party, claimed the ship was equipped with the 'most powerful weapons' and was built 'within 400-odd days'.
There was no immediate comment from South Korea's military on the revelation of the new warship sinking.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14737565/Serious-accident-unfolds-launch-warship-North-Korea-Kim-Jong-criminal-act.html
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying that the accident “brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse” and those in charge would face severe consequences. North Korea has one of the world’s most atrocious human rights records and routinely imprisons people in labor camps or executes them for alleged infractions much less significant than embarrassing Kim with a major military error.
North Korea prides itself on its military, redirecting much of its government budget to its illegal nuclear weapons program while forcing its populace to live in squalor. It has tested nuclear weapons seven times, most recently in 2017, but also regularly fires missiles into the neighboring East Sea/Sea of Japan or into the Pacific Ocean to intimidate its enemies, most prominently South Korea and the United States. It is unclear why KCNA reported on the embarrassing incident, confirming the failure to its domestic audience that does not have legal access to news sources outside of those run by the Kim regime.
Kim attributed the failure to “irresponsible errors” and listed “relevant officials of the Munitions Industry Department of the WPK Central Committee, the Mechanical Institute of the State Academy of Sciences, Kim Chaek University of Technology, the central ship designing institute and other relevant units and the Chongjin Shipyard” as those responsible for the accident. The report noted that Kim ominously vowed that those he deemed responsible would “have to be dealt with … and censured.”
South Korean officials told reporters that the accident could have been the product of Kim pressuring military officials and mechanics to hit unrealistic deadlines for the full preparation of the ship.
Experts suggest that the accident may have stemmed from Kim Jong-un’s impatience.
https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2025/05/22/criminal-act-north-korea-admits-to-major-naval-accident-at-military-event/
The ship is now partially submerged and covered with bright blue tarpaulins
