North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vented fury at his own military and other officials Wednesday after his country's second naval destroyer was damaged in a failed launch that he was there to witness, state media reported Thursday. Kim wants bigger warships to deal with what he calls escalating U.S.-led threats against his country, amid a long-simmering standoff over his nuclear weapons.

It is uncommon for North Korea to acknowledge military-related setbacks or accidents, and observers say the disclosure of the failed ship launch suggests Kim is serious about his naval advancement program and confident of ultimately achieving that objective.

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