North Korea's Kim Jong Un faces embarrassment after a failed naval destroyer launch. The incident prompts an investigation and highlights military modernization efforts.

North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un said a new naval destroyer was damaged in a "serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness."

He vows to punish as criminals those responsible for the failure, in which the ship had its hull torn open and ended up on its side in the water.

A disastrous destroyer launch punctures Kim's drive to modernise North Korea's fleet as he accuses officials of "criminal" neglect.

Two women who fled North Korea have been telling the United Nations about the plight of people still living in the country and urging the world body to hold North Korea’s leader accountable for gross human rights violations.