Kim Jong-un blasts ‘grave accident’ after watching botched warship launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly condemned Wednesday's botched launch of a new naval destroyer — which he witnessed firsthand — as a “grave and significant accident” amounting to a “criminal act.” The South Korean military later confirmed on Thursday that Pyongyang had failed to slide the warship into the water during its launch attempt.

In a rare display of transparency, North Korea swiftly reported on the failed launch of a new 5,000-ton-class destroyer at the Chongjin Shipyard in North Hamgyong Province on Wednesday, via both internal- and external-oriented state media on Thursday.

Kim issued blistering criticism after witnessing the entire accident, according to the Korean-language report carried on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, the country’s most widely circulated newspaper.

"Comrade Kim Jong-un delivered a grave assessment, saying that this was a grave and significant accident — utterly inconceivable and absolutely unacceptable — caused by sheer carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism, and that it constitutes a criminal act," the media report read.

State media notably delineated the causes of the failure involving the slipway method used to launch the destroyer, in which a ship is side-launched from the quay — a technique not previously seen in North Korea.

In summary, the accident occurred due to "inexperienced command and careless handling during the launch process," which failed to keep the movement of the launch sleds — the structures that slide the warship into the water — properly balanced, according to the report.

As a result, the sled under the stern detached first and ran aground, puncturing part of the ship’s bottom and throwing the vessel off balance. The bow section of the warship was left stuck on the slipway, the report added.

North Korean state media had not shared any photos or video of the failed warship launch as of Thursday afternoon.

Kim also ordered the restoration of the destroyer to "be unconditionally completed" before a plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee in late June, which state media concurrently announced on Thursday would be convened.

"Comrade Kim Jong-un sternly warned and pressed accountability, stating that the irresponsible mistakes of the relevant units ... and the officials at the Chongjin Shipyard cannot but be dealt with at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee to be convened next month," according to the media report.

Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that the destroyer is "tilted and resting on its side in the water."

"South Korean and US intelligence authorities had been tracking and monitoring signs of a large warship launch at North Korea’s Chongjin Port in advance, and we have assessed that the sideways launch failed," Lee said at Thursday’s regular press briefing.

Lee explained that the warship is believed to be equipped with capabilities similar to the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class destroyer, which was launched in late April, in light of its size and scale.

A senior official at the Unification Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that Pyongyang’s disclosure of the debacle "seems aimed at tightening internal discipline through strict accountability for the negligence that caused it."

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the Kim regime’s divulgence is a manifestation of its bid to project an image of uninterrupted military technological development and to "show off transparency in the process of building military capabilities" to external audiences.

A day after the mishap, North Korea notably fired several cruise missiles at around 9 a.m. Thursday from the Sondok area in South Hamgyong Province, South Korea’s JCS confirmed, adding it had detected signs of the launches in advance and was prepared to respond.

Lim also point out that the disclosure "aims to reinforce (Kim's) authority within the system internally and serves as a message signaling a hard-line stance that no mistakes will be tolerated."

"At the same time, by disclosing the failure, the regime seeks to emphasize the need for internal reform or aims to showcase the resilience and competence of the system through a successful recovery later," Lim explained.

However, Choi Il, a retired South Korean submarine captain, said the Kim regime would have found it "too burdensome to conceal the accident, with thousands of personnel mobilized for the event."

“The launch ceremony at the Chongjin Shipyard was likely prepared on an even larger scale than the launch event for the Choe Hyon-class destroyer,” Choi added.

This is not the first time the Kim Jong-un regime has disclosed failures in military projects, including three failed attempts to launch military reconnaissance satellites in 2023 and 2024, as well as setbacks in economic projects.