Seoul: A "serious accident" occurred during a ceremony to launch a new warship while its leader Kim Jong-un was attending the event, North Korea announced Thursday.
According to Qatar News Agency, the accident took place Wednesday at a shipyard in the eastern port city of Chongjin during a ceremony to launch a newly built 5,000-ton destroyer. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on the incident, highlighting "inexperience command and operational carelessness" as the causes of the mishap. The accident occurred as the launch slide of the stern departed first and was stranded while the flatcar failed to move in parallel.
As a result, some sections of the warship's bottom were "crushed," which destroyed the balance of the ship, preventing the bow from leaving the shipway. After witnessing the entire accident, Kim Jong-un described the incident as a "serious accident and criminal act" resulting from "absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism." He emphasized that such actions were beyond the bounds of possibility and could not be tolerated.