A North Korean destroyer was severely damaged during launch due to technical failures. Enraged, Kim Jong-un blamed multiple agencies and demanded urgent repairs, revealing deeper challenges in naval modernization.
Kim Jong-un was reported to be “furious” on Thursday after a mishap during this week’s launch of a North Korean warship.
Especially surprising is that the state-run media quickly acknowledged the incident.
The North Korean leader was at the Chongjin Shipyard for the launch ceremony of the country’s second destroyer when a malfunction occurred with the launch mechanism, damaging the as-yet-unnamed 5,000-ton warship. According to CNN, the vessel “slid prematurely into the water, crushing parts of the hull and leaving the bow stranded on the shipway.“
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) first reported the incident. TV anchor Ri Chun-hee said in a broadcast that it resulted from “inexperienced command operational carelessness.”
“In the course of the launch, the launch slide of the stern departed first and stranded as the flatcar failed to move in parallel,” Ri added.
“Some sections of the warship’s bottom were crushed, destroying the balance of the warship, and the bow couldn’t leave the shipway, leading to a serious accident.”
The KCNA report further cited Kim’s assessment, which stated that it “was a serious accident that could not have happened, could not be tolerated, and was a criminal act caused by pure carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism.”
The warship is the second of North Korea’s new guided-missile destroyers, with the first, the Choe Hyon, revealed in April.
The new destroyers, named for the North Korean Cold War-era general, are the most advanced warships ever built in the Hermit Kingdom. Kim said during the launch of the Choe Hyon that it represented a “breakthrough” in the country’s naval modernization effort.
It is part of an ambitious program that calls for a blue-water navy capable of operating well beyond its coastal waters.
Who Is to Blame for the North Korean Damaged Destroyer?
The North Korean despot blamed several state agencies, including the Munitions Industry Department, the Institute of Dynamics of the State Academy of Sciences, the Kim Chaek University of Technology, and the Central Ship Design Institute.
Kim has vowed that those responsible would be “dealt with” following the Party Central Committee meeting scheduled for next month.
North Korea rarely acknowledges military-related accidents, but experts have said Kim’s ambitions outweigh the short-term setback.
“It’s a shameful thing. But the reason why North Korea disclosed the incident is that it wants to show it’s speeding up the modernization of its navy forces and expresses its confidence that it can eventually build [a greater navy],” Moon Keun-sik, a navy expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University, told the Associated Press.
Moon further said that the accident may have occurred as the North Korean personnel lack the familiarity and skills that come with launching such large warships.
Can the North Korean Naval Destroyer Be Fixed?
Kim has since ordered the destroyer to be repaired by late June, but naval analysts question whether such a goal is remotely realistic given the damage that occurred. North Korea may even lack the necessary infrastructure to repair the warship, notably a dry dock. However, even with such a facility, repairs (if possible) could take months, not weeks.
No amount of anger from Kim or fear from his subordinates is likely to change those facts.
As previously reported, Russia has assisted North Korea in its naval modernization. However, given the Kremlin’s track record with its flagship carrier and other capital ships, Pyongyang may not want to turn to Moscow to determine how best to repair a warship.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Alexander Khitrov.
