Kim Jong-un furious after new warship capsizes at launch ceremony

The North Korean leader was attending the official launch of a new warship when, in a matter of moments, the ceremony turned into a fiasco.

North Korea’s efforts to modernize its navy — and its military pride — have been damaged after its newest warship partially capsized during a launch ceremony on Wednesday, with leader Kim Jong Un calling the “catastrophic failure” a “criminal act.” www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0…

— Michelle Ye Hee Lee (@myhlee.bsky.social) 2025-05-22T13:10:07.132Z

The ship, christened Choe Hyon, suddenly tipped over on its side as it was being launched from the quay, during a side launch.

The incident reportedly provoked the fury of North Korea’s leader, who quickly branded it an act of sabotage, calling the scene a “criminal act”, according to The Guardian.

According to the official KCNA news agency, sections of the 5,000-ton warship’s bottom broke off, an incident it claims led to the collapse of the North Korean state’s dignity and self-esteem.

Humiliated, Kim Jong-un denounced the incident as an act of total negligence and inexcusable irresponsibility, saying it was simply intolerable.

For their part, North Korea’s state media attributed the failure of the lateral launch, a first in North Korea, to command inexperience and a serious operational error.

North Korea had planned for the warship to enter service early next year, but following this fiasco, its future now remains uncertain.

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