Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
North Korea’s newest warship was severely damaged during a recent launch ceremony, with leader Kim Jong Un, who witnessed the accident, saying it brought shame to the nation’s prestige and vowing to punish those found responsible, state media reported.
In a rare admission of failure, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said a malfunction in the launch mechanism caused the stern of the as-yet unnamed 5,000-ton destroyer to slide prematurely into the water on Wednesday, crushing parts of the hull and leaving the bow stranded on the shipway.
Kim called the launch failure “a criminal act” and blamed it on “absolute carelessness” and “irresponsibility” by multiple state institutions – including the Munitions Industry Department, Kim Chaek University of Technology and the central ship design bureau.
Law enforcement have detained three people “for legal investigation” over the incident, including the chief engineer of the shipyard, state media KCNA reported Sunday, citing the group in charge of investigating the botched launch.
Satellite imagery showed the vessel lying on its side, the stern in the water, and the bow still on land. State media did not immediately release images of the accident.
Naval analysts said the damage incurred by a vessel in such a launch malfunction could be “catastrophic.”
“If the ship does not move together, the stresses will tear the hull apart,” Sal Mercogliano, a professor at Campbell University in North Carolina and a maritime expert, told CNN.
Naval analyst Carl Schuster in Hawaii, after reviewing the KCNA account, said he thinks the stresses would “warp the hull, induce cracks and (possibly) snap the keel depending on where the greatest stress falls.”
The launch failure marks a setback for what analysts have viewed as North Korea’s most ambitious naval modernization effort in decades.
The ship was to be the second major navy surface vessel revealed in quick succession by North Korea. In April, Kim unveiled the Choe Hyon, the country’s first newly constructed destroyer in decades, and declared his ambition of building more destroyers and various cruisers and frigates.
The Choe Hyon, described as a “new generation” warship, was presented with significant fanfare with state media saying it would strengthen naval readiness amid what Pyongyang calls rising threats from the United States and South Korea.
Western defense analysts noted that the Choe Hyon marked a departure from the aging Soviet-era vessels that dominated the Korean People’s Navy. While details remain scarce, satellite imagery and footage suggested the Choe Hyon could share design elements with similar Russian navy ships.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Lee Sung-joon said the vessel damaged on Wednesday was thought to be equipped like the Choe Hyon.
Wednesday’s incident could cast doubt on the country’s ability to scale its navy. Kim said the damage would be addressed not only through technical repairs, but political accountability.
He ordered the destroyer to be restored before the late June plenary session of the ruling Workers’ Party, calling the matter one of national honor.
KCNA reported Friday that the damage to the warship was less than North Korea’s initial estimate, saying there were no holes in the hull, although it was scratched along the starboard side. It also said “a certain amount of seawater flowed into the stern section.”
Repairs could take about 10 days, the report said.
However, considering the potential degree of damage, analysts said that it would be nearly impossible to meet Kim’s late June deadline for repairs.
The ship “will not be entering Korean Peoples’ Navy (KPN) service anytime soon and may ultimately prove to be a complete loss,” experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in their Beyond Parallel blog alongside satellite photos of the floundering vessel.
Retired South Korean Adm. Kim Duk-ki told CNN that North Korea appeared to lack the necessary infrastructure – a dry dock – to launch a 5,000-ton destroyer, let alone recover and repair it.
A dry dock is a basin facility that can be filled with water to float a ship or drain out to build or repair one.
“Dry dock is an expensive facility, and North Korea probably doesn’t have one… It’s easy to repair a ship in a dry dock after draining water, but they don’t have the facility,” the retired admiral said, adding that restoration could take over four to five months.
South Korean lawmaker and defense analyst Yu Yong-weon said rushing the launch of the ship likely led to the problems encountered on Wednesday and warned hasty repairs could cause more problems down the line.
Schuster said repairs, if possible, are more likely to take months, rather than weeks.
An accident investigation group has been formed, and senior officials may face censure at the upcoming Party Central Committee meeting, an account from KCNA reported.
North Korea’s navy is often seen as the least developed branch of its military. The hastened pace of destroyer development has surprised some outside observers, raising questions about how much of the technology is functional versus symbolic.
Mercogliano, the US professor, said it’s unclear whether Pyongyang’s new warships even have engines as state media has provided no images of them underway.
This story has been updated with additional information.
