North Korea’s second naval destroyer was damaged in a failed launch on Wednesday, state media reported yesterday, sparking fury from leader Kim Jong-un, who called it a “criminal act” that could not be tolerated.
Kim, who witnessed the failed launch of the 5,000-tonne destroyer, excoriated the accident as caused by “carelessness” that tarnished national dignity, and ordered the ship restored before a ruling party meeting next month, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The report did not say whether there were any casualties.
Photo: 2025 PLANET LABS PBC / AFP
It is not common for North Korea to acknowledge military-related setbacks, but observers said the disclosure of the failed ship launch suggests that Kim is serious about his naval advancement program and confident of ultimately achieving that objective.
The accident happened when the destroyer was being eased into the water in a so-called side launch, a maneuver that was risky for a ship that size given the technical and financial challenges North Korea faced, military analysts said.
The mishap likely occurred in front of a large crowd at the northeastern port of Chongjin, increasing the public humiliation for Kim, they said.
The incident was caused by a loss of balance while the vessel was being launched and sections of the bottom of the warship were crushed, KCNA said, without providing more details of the damage sustained.
“Kim Jong-un made stern assessment saying that it was a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism ... and could not be tolerated,” it reported.
The accident “brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse,” Kim said, adding that an immediate restoration of the destroyer was “not merely a practical issue, but a political issue directly related to the authority of the state.”
South Korea’s military said the ship was lying on its side in the water.
The North fired multiple cruise missiles from an area south of the port around the time the accident was reported, Seoul’s military said.
The rare public disclosure of an accident follows a report of the launch of another destroyer of a similar size last month, also attended by Kim, at the west coast shipyard of Nampho.
Yang Wuk, an Asan Institute for Policy Studies military expert, said the botched launch of the country’s largest warship was embarrassing for the country.
“The fact that this kind of accident occurred and became public would be deeply humiliating for North Korea,” Yang said.
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