North Korea has opened an investigation into a failed warship launch earlier this week after leader Kim Jong Un said the accident threatened the country's dignity, state media reported. On May 21, Kim was in attendance at a launch ceremony for a new naval destroyer when a "serious accident" occurred,

Kim promised to punish those responsible for the “catastrophic failure” after the naval vessel partially capsized during a ceremony attended by the leader.

In a rare public admission of failure, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un described the accident involving the 5,000-ton destroyer as a “criminal act.”