Kim Jong Un’s Fury after Watching New Navy Destroyer Crippled in Launch Gone Wrong

By Staff, Agencies

A ceremony to welcome a new addition to North Korea’s naval fleet has ended in embarrassment following a major accident during the ship’s launch that the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, described as a “criminal act”.

Kim was present when the 5,000-tonne destroyer appeared to go off balance during its launch in the eastern port city of Chongjin on Wednesday. The tipping caused damage to sections of the hull, the state-run KCNA news agency said on Thursday.

“Kim Jong-un made [a] stern assessment, saying that it was a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility … and could not be tolerated,” KCNA reported.

Kim ordered the ship restored before a key meeting of the ruling Workers’ party next month, KCNA added. The accident had “brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse”.

Blaming “inexperienced command and operational carelessness” during the launch, the news agency said the incident left “some sections of the warship’s bottom crushed”.

Officials found responsible for the debacle would be “dealt with at the plenary meeting of the party central committee” in June, Kim said.

The ship was the second 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel – the biggest in the North Korean fleet – to have been launched in recent weeks.

North Korea stated that vessel, named the Choe Hyon, was equipped with the “most powerful weapons” and that it would “enter into operation early next year”.