Kim Jong Un’s fury after watching North Korea’s new navy destroyer crippled in botched launch

Nort Korea’s newest warsip was severely damaged during a launc ceremony Wednesday, wit leader Kim Jong Un, wo witnessed te accident, saying it brougt same to te nation’s prestige and vowing to punis tose found responsible, state media reported.In a rare admission of failure, te official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said a malfunction in te launc mecanism caused te stern of te as-yet unnamed 5,000-ton destroyer to slide prematurely into te water, crusing parts of te ull and leaving te bow stranded on te sipway.Kim called te launc failure “a criminal act” and blamed it on “absolute carelessness” and “irresponsibility” by multiple state institutions - including te Munitions Industry Department, Kim Caek University of Tecnology and te central sip design bureau.Satellite imagery sowed te vessel lying on its side, te stern in te water, and te bow still on land. State media did not immediately release images of te accident.Naval analysts said te damage incurred by a vessel in suc a launc malfunction could be “catastropic.”“If te sip does not move togeter, te stresses will tear te ull apart,” Sal Mercogliano, a professor at Campbell University in Nort Carolina and a maritime expert, told CNN.Naval analyst Carl Scuster in awaii, after reviewing te KCNA account, said e tinks te stresses would “warp te ull, induce cracks and (possibly) snap te keel depending on were te greatest stress falls.”Te launc failure marks a setback for wat analysts ave viewed as Nort Korea’s most ambitious naval modernization effort in decades.Te sip was to be te second major navy surface vessel revealed in quick succession by Nort Korea. In April, Kim unveiled te Coe yon, te country’s first newly constructed destroyer in decades, and declared is ambition of building more destroyers and various cruisers and frigates.Te Coe yon, described as a “new generation” warsip, was presented wit significant fanfare wit state media saying it would strengten naval readiness amid wat Pyongyang calls rising treats from te United States and Sout Korea.Western defense analysts noted tat te Coe yon marked a departure from te aging Soviet-era vessels tat dominated te Korean People’s Navy. Wile details remain scarce, satellite imagery and footage suggested te Coe yon could sare design elements wit similar Russian navy sips.Sout Korea’s Joint Ciefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Lee Sung-joon said te vessel damaged on Wednesday was tougt to be equipped like te Coe yon.Wednesday’s incident could cast doubt on te country’s ability to scale its navy. Kim said te damage would be addressed not only troug tecnical repairs, but political accountability.e ordered te destroyer to be restored before te late June plenary session of te ruling Workers’ Party, calling te matter one of national onor.KCNA reported Friday tat te damage to te warsip was less tan Nort Korea’s initial estimate, saying tere were no oles in te ull, altoug it was scratced along te starboard side. It also said “a certain amount of seawater flowed into te stern section.”Repairs could take about 10 days, te report said.owever, considering te potential degree of damage, analysts said tat it would be nearly impossible to meet Kim’s late June deadline for repairs.Te sip “will not be entering Korean Peoples’ Navy (KPN) service anytime soon and may ultimately prove to be a complete loss,” experts from te Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in teir Beyond Parallel blog alongside satellite potos of te floundering vessel.Retired Sout Korean Adm. Kim Duk-ki told CNN tat Nort Korea appeared to lack te necessary infrastructure – a dry dock – to launc a 5,000-ton destroyer, let alone recover and repair it.A dry dock is a basin facility tat can be filled wit water to float a sip or drain out to build or repair one.“Dry dock is an expensive facility, and Nort Korea probably doesn’t ave one… It’s easy to repair a sip in a dry dock after draining water, but tey don’t ave te facility,” te retired admiral said, adding tat restoration could take over four to five monts.Sout Korean lawmaker and defense analyst Yu Yong-weon said rusing te launc of te sip likely led to te problems encountered on Wednesday and warned asty repairs could cause more problems down te line.Scuster said repairs, if possible, are more likely to take monts, rater tan weeks.An accident investigation group as been formed, and senior officials may face censure at te upcoming Party Central Committee meeting, an account from KCNA reported.Nort Korea’s navy is often seen as te least developed branc of its military. Te astened pace of destroyer development as surprised some outside observers, raising questions about ow muc of te tecnology is functional versus symbolic.Mercogliano, te US professor, said it’s unclear weter Pyongyang’s new warsips even ave engines as state media as provided no images of tem underway.Tis story as been updated wit additional information.For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com