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North Korea has repaired and relaunched their 5,000-ton warship after a botched launch in May, according to North Korean state media.
The second warship was once again upright in the water, according to the North Korean news agency KCNA.
The communist country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, was in attendance to give a speech and spoke about the failed launch.
“Of course, we felt panic-stricken in front of the unexpected and ridiculous accident caused while launching this destroyer in Chongjin last month,” Kim said.
NORTH KOREA DETAINS SHIPYARD OFFICIALS OVER FAILED LAUNCH THAT LEFT NAVAL DESTROYER DAMAGED: STATE MEDIA
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, front right, and his daughter stand on a destroyer named Kang Kon during its launch ceremony at the Rajin shipyard in Rason, North Korea, Thursday, June 12, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, front right, and his daughter stand on a destroyer named Kang Kon during its launch ceremony at the Rajin shipyard in Rason, North Korea, Thursday, June 12, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) ((Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP))
Kim did not take the accident lightly, going as far as to call it a criminal act, according to KCNA.
“We judged the accident not as a simple mistake but as a never-to-be-forgiven, serious criminal act that lowered the dignity and self-respect of our state in a moment, and investigated the root cause of the accident in a comprehensive way,” Kim said.
In fact, the chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard, along with others, were arrested according KCNA.
KIM JONG UN LEFT FUMING AFTER NORTH KOREA’S NEW DESTROYER DAMAGED IN FAILED LAUNCH
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, center, and his daughter attend a launch ceremony of a destroyer named Kang Kon at the Rajin shipyard in Rason, North Korea, Thursday, June 12, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) ((Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP))
However, this setback hasn’t seemed to slow down Kim’s ambitions as he promised more warships to come.
“Warships of a new generation are to be launched one after another in the coming years, and they will form the backbone of our maritime defense forces,” Kim said.
The ship, which Kim has reportedly named “Kang Kon,” was moved to the Rajin shipyard after being set up right, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The total extent of the damage to the ship is unknown as it never left the dry dock.
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows a destroyer named Kang Kon during its launch ceremony at the Rajin shipyard in Rason, North Korea, Thursday, June 12, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. ((Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP))
Satellite images previously released by South Korea had shown the ship lying on its side.
Reported previously by KCNA, the “Kang Kon” had slipped off of its ramp and became stuck.
The flatcar failed to move alongside the ship, throwing it off balance and crushing parts of the ship’s bottom.
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This caused the massive warship’s stern to slide down the launch slipway, making the ship’s bow section unable to leave the ramp, according to KNCA.
The “Kang Kon” was the second naval destroyer launched within a month after Kim attended the successful launch of another 5,000-ton destroyer from Nampo, a port on the west coast of North Korea.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Landon Mion contributed to this story.
Nick Butler is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Do you have any tips? Reach out to Nick.Butler@Fox.com.
