NORTH Korea has arrested three shipyard bosses after a humiliating warship launch flop that Kim Jong-un called a “criminal act”.

The 5,000-tonne destroyer, celebrated as a symbol of military power, ended up sinking and tilting in the harbor during a prominent launch event in Chongjin’s port city last Wednesday.

According to state media on Sunday, three officials—chief engineer Kang Jong Chol, hull workshop head Han Kyong Hak, and deputy manager Kim Yong Hak—were arrested due to the “serious accident”.

Kim Jong-un, who watched the botched launch unfold in person, reportedly fumed that the fiasco had “damaged the country’s dignity”.

The Pyongyang tyrant has since ordered the ship to be restored by next month’s ruling party meeting, with repairs already under way.