Everything was ready for the North Korean naval fleet to welcome its new destroyer, an imposing 5,000-ton warship that can be equipped with short-range tactical nuclear missiles and that, according to the South Korean military, would have been developed with the help of Russia in exchange for the deployment of troops from the regime of Kim Jong-un to support Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine.
Kim was present on Wednesday in the port city of Chongjin to show off military strength with his new war toy. It was supposed to be the second destroyer he presented to the world in less than a month. But everything went wrong. During the ceremony, in front of the supreme leader, an accident while launching the ship caused it to capsize, causing serious damage to the hull.
A day after the incident, in a strange gesture of transparency from North Korean propaganda - regarding negative news - the state agency KCNA reported what had happened and, most importantly, documented the dictator's enormous anger.
"Kim Jong-un made a severe assessment, saying it was a serious accident and a criminal act caused by absolute carelessness and irresponsibility, and that such a thing could not be tolerated," the information read, indicating that Kim had ordered the destroyer to be ready again before an important meeting of the ruling Workers' Party scheduled for next month.
"The accident has destroyed the dignity and self-respect of our State. Those responsible for the disaster will be dealt with at the plenary meeting of the party's central committee," Kim continued, while the state agency pointed out the "inexperience of the command and operational negligence" of the officials in charge of presenting the flagship vessel.
It was the South Korean intelligence services that revealed that the ship was lying on its side in the water on Thursday. Additionally, almost at the same time that Pyongyang announced the news of the accident with its destroyer, Seoul reported that the North Koreans had launched "multiple cruise missiles" into the Sea of Japan.
A day before the launch of the warship, the 38 North media, a prominent platform based in the United States that monitors daily events in Pyongyang, published satellite images of the shipyard in Chongjin showing the destroyer positioned at the dock with more ships around it.
In April, North Korea presented its first large destroyer, named Choe Hyon, announcing that it was equipped with the "most powerful weapons" and would be operational from 2026 onwards.
North Korean media then published images of Kim inspecting the ship accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae, considered by most experts to be his successor. "I am infinitely honored to proclaim the birth of the first warship of a new generation, essential for developing the capacity to firmly defend our maritime sovereignty," Kim said at that presentation.
Normally, the media focus shifts to North Korea whenever it launches a ballistic projectile during the many tests carried out by the regime to improve its missile program. But Kim has emphasized the need for modernization of its naval forces as South Korea and Japan, along with their ally Washington, have increased their joint maritime military exercises in the region.
A couple of months ago, North Korean media released images of Kim inspecting the first nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapon system weighing between 6,000 and 7,000 tons with the capacity to carry around a dozen missiles.
When the news of the submarine came out, many analysts doubted that such an isolated, sanctioned, and impoverished country like North Korea could have obtained the resources to build such a powerful weapon without technological assistance from its ally in Moscow.