may 21st 2025 chong Xhen North Korea kim Jong-un watches his most advanced warship attempt its launch ceremony launch of North Korea's new Navy warship ended in failure as his brand new warship sank before his eyes this is what happened in the next 7 minutes here's how North Korea's naval pride became a $500 million disaster 10:47 a.m the ceremony begins a 5,000 ton destroyer sits on launching rails ready for its maiden voyage kim Jong-un stands with military officials expecting another triumph at 10:52 a.m something goes wrong let's take a look at what happened the transport system supporting the ship's stern detaches first the massive destroyer begins sliding into the harbor uncontrolled 10:54 a.m kim Jong-un realizes this isn't going according to plan emergency crews scramble as the ship tilts at a dangerous angle at 10:58 a.m the physics become catastrophic the stern enters the water while the bow stays locked to the dock a 5,000 ton ship tears itself apart at 11:05 a.m it's over north Korea's most advanced warship lies on its side in Chong Jin Harbor within hours blue tarps cover the wreckage to hide the embarrassment from satellite surveillance this is Chong Jin shipyard in northeastern North Korea unlike the successful launch just weeks earlier at Manpo this facility lacked proper infrastructure here's what made this launch so risky the Chong Jin shipyard had no floating dry dock like the one used successfully at Namo instead they attempted a sideways launch a method never used for ships this large in North Korea this wasn't just any ship the Cho Hyion class destroyer carried 82 missile launch cells advanced Russian radar systems and nuclear capable cruise missiles it was meant to transform North Korea from a coastal navy into a regional threat normally ship launches require precise coordination all support mechanisms must release simultaneously when they don't the forces can literally tear a ship apart here's what went wrong at Chong Jin the world support units under the stern either caught on the rails or fell off entirely this created uneven forces across the ship's 142 m length as naval expert Carl Shuster explained "When part of the ship moves but the rest doesn't the stress will warp the hull induce cracks and possibly lead to a snapped keel." Kim Jong-un called the disaster a criminal act caused by absolute carelessness within days the arrests began chief Engineer Kang Jong Chol arrested hull workshop head Koan Hack arrested deputy manager Kim Yong Hack arrested north Korean state media claimed underwater inspections showed no holes on the warship's bottom and called the damage not serious but satellite imagery told a different story south Korean and US intelligence confirmed the launch had failed catastrophically kim Jong-un ordered the ship to be restored by next month an impossible timeline for a vessel this damaged north Korean lacks the floating dry docks needed to even lift a 5,000 ton ship for repairs as retired South Korean Admiral Kim Duck Ki explained "It's easy to repair a ship in a dry dock after draining the water but they don't have the facility." This disaster reveals the gap between North Korean military propaganda and reality the failure was documented in real time by multiple nations what was meant to be a show of strength became a demonstration of technical limitations this incident illustrates a fundamental problem with authoritarian military development political pressures creates dangerous technical shortcuts today the destroyer remains partially submerged in Chong Jin Harbor covered by blue tarps the incident highlights the challenges that can arise when ambitious military projects meet complex engineering realities the 7 minutes that were meant to showcase naval advancements instead became a reminder that successful military modernization requires not just political will but also technical infrastructure and expertise to support it