New North Korean warship is damaged at launch ceremony as leader Kim looks on

A new North Korean warship was damaged in a “serious accident” during a launch ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Thursday, in a rare admission of failure by the secretive nuclear-armed state.

The 5,000-ton destroyer slid off a flatcar due to “inexperienced command and operational carelessness in the course of the launch,” according to the Korean Central News Agency, crushing parts of the bottom of the ship.

The incident Wednesday at the northeastern port of Chongjin is a blow to Kim, who has stressed the importance of such destroyers for advancing North Korea’s military capabilities.

Kim described the accident as a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness” that “could not be tolerated,” KCNA said.

He censured the officials involved in the accident, which he said “brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse,” and said the ship should be restored before next month’s plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party.

The North Korean report did not say whether there were any casualties.