A one-month timeframe for repairing the North Korean vessel simply isn’t pragmatic or realistic, given the extent of the damage.
One thing that’s almost unheard of when it comes to totalitarian governments, especially those of a communist nature, is ever admitting to any sort of failure. After all, that would be denying the perfection and omnipotence of the (almighty) state.
This is especially true of the so-called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), aka North Korea. The DPRK has been ruled under dynastic (hereditary) succession, and all three generations of North Korea’s heads of state—“Great Leader” Kim Il-Sung, “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-Il, and now “Great Comrade” Kim Jong-Un—have conferred upon themselves the status of virtual demigods who can do no wrong, and by long extension, whose government can do no wrong.
But recently, the Kim family had to admit to a naval disaster. Here’s the story.
North Korea’s Frigate Disaster
This story came to us via an article from Thomas Newdick of TWZ: “Aftermath Of Disastrous North Korean Frigate Launch Seen In Satellite Image (Updated).” To wit:
“North Korea’s latest frigate has been significantly damaged in an embarrassing incident during its launch ceremony, which was attended by Kim Jong Un. The country’s leader described the mishap as a ‘criminal act,’ before calling for the warship to be quickly restored. Satellite imagery circulating online shows the vessel lying on its side next to the dock where it was launched. Blue tarpaulins are seen draped over it in an effort to obscure the incident from prying eyes in orbit overhead … In a very rare move, the incident was quickly confirmed by North Korea, perhaps in an effort to get ahead of the news cycle once satellite imagery of the warship put any question about what had happened beyond doubt.”
The unnamed vessel is the second ship of the Choi Hyun-class, the first of which was just unveiled last month. According to Newdick’s TWZ colleague Tyler Rogoway, this new frigate “has a whopping 74 vertical launch cells, some of which could launch cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as SAMs [surface-to-air missiles],” as well as what appears to be a 127mm deck gun.
Comrade Kim Isn’t Happy
To say the least, the “Great Comrade” (or as U.S. president Donald Trump prefers to call him, “Little Rocket Man”) is quite displeased. In addition to his “criminal act” rhetoric, Kim decreed that the officials found responsible would be “dealt with at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee” in June. He also called for the frigate to be restored before that June meeting: “The urgent restoration of the destroyer is not a simple practical issue, but a political issue directly related to the authority of the country.”
Kim’s blustery words and his powers to purge his unfortunate underlings don’t necessarily equate to mechanical miracles. A one-month timeframe for repairing the vessel simply isn’t pragmatic or realistic, given the extent of the damage: a rupture in the hull in some sections, the bow section being unable to detach from the keel, and the ship having capsized.
North Korea’s Navy by the Numbers
According to the World Directory of Modern Military Warships (WDMMW), the Korean People’s Army Naval Force has a total of 195 fleet units in its active naval inventory, ranking it fourteenth out of forty national naval powers ranked by the website. These stats include two frigates of the 1973 vintage Najin-class; although WDMMW’s stats were updated sometime this calendar year, they don’t account for either the Choi Hyon or her star-crossed new sister ship.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch , The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: Alexander Khitrov / Shutterstock.com
