South Korea said the destroyer was lying sideways in the water after ceremony to launch the new 5,000-tonne ship

A major accident damaged part of a new naval destroyer during its launch ceremony in North Korea, state media reported, angering leader Kim Jong-un, who called the mishap a “criminal act” that caused the “collapse” of the nation’s dignity.

At a ceremony to launch the new 5,000-tonne destroyer in the eastern port city of Chongjin on Wednesday “a serious accident occurred,” the official Korean Central News Agency said.