North korea's huge new warship sinks during launch in front of kim jong-un

NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR KIM JONG-UN WAS LEFT FUMING AFTER A 5,000-TON WARSHIP LAUNCH WENT WRONG IN FRONT OF HIM, WITH THE VESSEL NOW NEEDING TO BE RESTORED AHEAD OF A JUNE MEETING MICHAEL D.

CARROLL and WILLIAM MORGAN Senior reporter 03:00, 22 May 2025 A major embarrassment struck North Korea during a high-profile warship launch that was to be witnessed by none other than Kim

Jong-un. The North Korean leader attended the much-anticipated unveiling of the 5,000-ton vessel at Cheongjin Shipyard on May 21. However, the event quickly went awry due to a serious mishap

during the festivities, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Intended as a grand demonstration of the country's military capabilities, chaos ensued as a critical mistake

derailed the launch procedure. A premature release of the stern sled resulted in it becoming lodged, leaving the ship's bow jammed and leading to hull damage — an error that halted the

launch and caused acute embarrassment for the supreme leader. READ MORE: Chris Brown freed on bail and will go on world tourREAD MORE: British travellers warning about ‘highly contagious

disease’ spreading in Europe Kim Jong-un personally witnessed the calamity and immediately gave a scathing criticism. He described the malfunction as a "serious accident that could not

have happened, could not be tolerated," and branded it a "criminal act caused by pure carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism." He clearly indicated that

there would be severe repercussions for those responsible, including top officials from various institutions such as the Department of Munitions Industry of the Party Central Committee, the

Institute of Dynamics of the State Academy of Sciences, Kim Chaek University of Technology, the Central Ship Design Institute, and Cheongjin Shipyard. Kim Jong-un cautioned that those

accountable will face repercussions when the ruling party's Central Committee convenes next month, declaring they will "not avoid being dealt with," reports the Mirror US.

Article continues below He stressed that reviving the destroyer goes beyond merely repairing a vessel, but also entails restoring national pride. Kim exhorted workers at Chongjin and Rajin

Shipyards to exhibit "ardent patriotic loyalty and labor devotion" to fully restore the ship ahead of the June Plenary Meeting. He also dispensed "important instructions"

to the team investigating the accident, underlining the serious manner in which the regime regards this matter.