What the sunken warship in North Korea tells us about the Kim Jong-un regime.

In May 2025, North Korea’s new warship turned over (capsized) when it was put into the sea. This was a big story in international news.



Nobody died, and the damage was not big. But many people were curious — why?



The reason was Kim Jong-un’s reaction.



Kim was very angry. He said it was a “big mistake” and hurt the country’s image. He asked the team to fix the ship quickly and punish the people responsible.

Why is this important?


This shows how serious Kim Jong-un is about building a nuclear navy.



Right now, North Korea has some old submarines and small ships. But Kim wants big, modern warships that can launch nuclear weapons.



This ship was one of two new destroyers. One ship was launched in April. The second one capsized during the ceremony.



Kim was there with his daughter and many people. That made it more embarrassing for him.

What did Kim do after?


Kim didn’t hide the problem. Instead, he:

Spoke to the public

Blamed people for being careless

Ordered them to fix the ship fast



In just 3 weeks, the ship was fixed and back in the water.

What does this tell us about North Korea?


Experts say this shows a change in how Kim runs the country.



Before, North Korea hid mistakes. But now, Kim shows problems and says:

“If you do wrong, you will be punished.”



He wants people to know:

“We have goals. Even if we fail, we fix it fast.”

Final message:


North Korea wants a strong nuclear navy.

Even with problems, Kim shows that he is still in control.