logo
North Korea arrests four over failed warship launch as images show vessel shielded from prying eyes

North Korea arrests four over failed warship launch as images show vessel shielded from prying eyes

CNN26-05-2025
North Korea has arrested four people it claims bear responsibility for a launch accident last week that left leader Kim Jong Un's newest warship lying on its side and partially submerged in a shipyard, state-run media has reported.
The four people detained included Ri Hyong Son, vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, 'who was greatly responsible for the occurrence of the serious accident,' a report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday said.
On Sunday, KCNA said three others had been detained: Kang Jong Chol, chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard where the accident occurred, Han Kyong Hak, head of the hull construction workshop, and Kim Yong Hak, deputy manager for administrative affairs.
Kim last week called the botched launch, which he witnessed, 'a criminal act' and vowed to punish those responsible.
Last Wednesday's accident resulted from a malfunction in the launch mechanism that caused the stern of the as-yet unnamed 5,000-ton destroyer to slide prematurely into the water, crushing parts of the hull and leaving the bow stranded on the shipway, KCNA reported on Thursday in a rare admission of fault from an otherwise highly secretive state.
State media reported on 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. Though analysts are skeptical.
Kim had ordered the destroyer to be restored before the late June plenary session of the ruling Workers' Party, calling the matter one of national honor.
Satellite imagery shows most of the warship covered in blue tarps at the launch site, making it difficult for experts to determine the full extent of the damage it suffered.
But analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, said repair work could take up to six months, well beyond Kim's June target.
'If the hull damage extends across the ship's port side covered by the tarp, then we are looking at four to six months of repair work,' he said.
Repairs could be complicated depending on the amount of sea water that entered the warship, according to Schuster.
The interior of the ship would need to be thoroughly flushed with fresh water and then dried to prevent 'salt crust' from forming on metal surfaces, he said.
'If it gets into joints and things, then it becomes destructive,' Schuster said.
But the flushing work cannot begin until the ship is righted and any holes in the hull are patched, he said.
KCNA reported Monday that 'the work for completely restoring the balance of the warship is being actively conducted,' but it did not give a timeline.
Satellite images from Maxar Technologies taken Sunday and supplied to CNN showed the ship still on its side, still mostly covered in blue tarps as smaller boats swarmed around it.
South Korean lawmaker and defense analyst Yu Yong-weon said last week that 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 echoed that thinking, saying optics may be more important than military value to the Kim regime.
'If Kim Jong Un says, 'I want that ship fitted out in six months,' they'll take shortcuts to make it happen. And usually when you do that you wind up with a ship that's not, shall we say optimal for operations? But it meets the propaganda criteria.'
CNN's Yoonjung Seo and Gawon Bae contributed to this report.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Dad of 4 Attacked by Crocodile in Front of Screaming Onlookers. His Remains Were Later Found About a Mile Away
Dad of 4 Attacked by Crocodile in Front of Screaming Onlookers. His Remains Were Later Found About a Mile Away

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Dad of 4 Attacked by Crocodile in Front of Screaming Onlookers. His Remains Were Later Found About a Mile Away

The remains of the 53-year-old were ultimately recovered and given to his family NEED TO KNOW A father of four was killed by a crocodile while he was bathing in a river on Aug. 14 The remains of the 53-year-old man were later recovered about a mile away The man was with his family at the time of the incident Warning: The link included contains graphic video footage. A father of four was killed by a crocodile during a horrific scene that took place in front of his family. The man, identified only as Arifuddin, was swimming in the Bulete River in the South Sulawesi province of Indonesia on Thursday, Aug. 14, at about 6 p.m. local time when the tragedy occurred, according to ViralPress. Arifuddin, 53, was bathing in the river with relatives when the crocodile bit his leg and dragged him under the water, the news organization reported. Video of the incident from ViralPress shows the crocodile grabbing onto the man's legs, as several villagers then moved into the water in an attempt to help, while others screamed from the shore nearby. Emergency workers were called to the scene, and they later located the crocodile — which was still carrying Arifuddin's lifeless body — in muddy, shallow water, ViralPress reported. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Local residents were eventually able to retrieve Arifuddin's remains. They were then returned to his family for a burial. Jerry Saputra, a representative from the Pitumpanua Sector Fire Rescue Team, said what was left of Arifuddin was recovered about one mile from where he was initially attacked, according to ViralPress. PEOPLE reached out to the South Sulawesi provincial government for comment on Saturday, Aug. 16, but did not receive an immediate response. The Associated Press reported in March that crocodile attacks in Indonesia are on the rise. The outlet said there were 179 crocodile attacks in the country in 2024 — the highest number in the world. Experts attribute the rise in attacks to the effects of an increase in palm oil plantations in the region, which have created more man-made waterways and have allowed the creatures to move closer inland, per the AP. Read the original article on People

This military junta is rebranding itself so it can hold elections, while UN probe finds evidence of intensifying atrocities
This military junta is rebranding itself so it can hold elections, while UN probe finds evidence of intensifying atrocities

CNN

time4 hours ago

  • CNN

This military junta is rebranding itself so it can hold elections, while UN probe finds evidence of intensifying atrocities

As evidence mounts of intensifying atrocities, including the torture of children, being committed in Myanmar, the country's military generals are rebranding their junta regime and planning stage-managed elections in a nation they only control parts of. They've rescinded a four-year state of emergency order, imposed during their 2021 military coup, and formed a caretaker administration to govern the war-torn Southeast Asian country until a new parliament is assembled following a national vote. But it is merely a cosmetic change, analysts say — designed to give the appearance that it's playing by the democratic playbook while remaining firmly in power, something Myanmar's military have a long and notorious history of doing. The election, to be held in stages over December 2025 and January 2026, is resoundingly regarded as a sham and a tool used by the junta to give it a veneer of legitimacy as it seeks to entrench its rule and gain international recognition. The junta's notoriety, though, is only growing. UN investigators have gathered evidence of systemic torture against those detained by the military, summary executions of captured combatants or civilians accused of being informers, children as young as two being detained in place of their parents, and aerial attacks on schools, homes and hospitals. Here's what to know: The United Nations and other rights groups have accused the military of war crimes as it battles democracy fighters and longstanding ethnic armed groups to cling to power. At the head of this junta is Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief who seized power in 2021, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and installed himself as leader. The military, which had previously ruled Myanmar with an iron fist for decades, sought to justify its takeover by alleging widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, which was won in a landslide by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party. The claims were never substantiated. Min Aung Hlaing has been sanctioned and spurned by the West, the country's economy is in tatters, and his military has lost significant territory in its grinding, multi-front civil war. The UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has said that the 'frequency and intensity' of atrocities in the country has only escalated over the past year. Children as young as two years old were often detained in place of their parents and some were also abused and tortured, the group found. It has collected evidence of 'systemic torture' in the military-run detention facilities, including rape and other forms of sexual violence. Some detainees died as a result of the torture, according to the IIMM. Those responsible include specific members and units of security forces involved in operations as well as high-ranking commanders, according to the group. The military has repeatedly denied committing atrocities and says it is targeting 'terrorists.' The junta has not responded to media requests for comment. The junta said its election objectives are for a 'genuine, disciplined multiparty democratic system and the building of a union based on democracy and federalism.' But with most of the country's pro-democracy lawmakers in exile or jail, and the military's widespread repression and attacks on the people, such a vote would never be considered free or fair, observers say. 'It's a sham election… It's not inclusive, it's not legitimate,' Mi Kun Chan Non, a women's activist working with Myanmar's Mon ethnic minority, told CNN. Many observers have warned that Min Aung Hlaing is seeking to legitimize his power grab through the ballot box and rule through proxy political parties. 'He needs to make himself legitimate … He thought that the election is the only way (to do that.),' said Mi Kun Chan Non. The United States and most Western countries have never recognized the junta as the legitimate government of Myanmar, and the election has been denounced by several governments in the region - including Japan and Malaysia. A collective of international election experts said a genuine election in Myanmar 'is impossible under the current conditions,' in a joint statement released by the umbrella organization International Idea. The experts pointed to 'draconian legislation banning opposition political parties, the arrest and detention of political leaders and democracy activists, severe restrictions of the media, and the organization of an unreliable census by the junta as a basis for the voter list.' Others say they cannot trust the military when it continues its campaign of violence, and when its history is littered with false promises of reform. Details on the election process are thin, but many citizens could be casting their votes in an active conflict zone or under the eyes of armed soldiers – a terrifying prospect that some say could lead to more violence. Junta bombs have destroyed homes, schools, markets, places of worship and hospitals, and are a primary cause of the displacement of more than 3.5 million people across the country since the coup. There are fears that those in junta-controlled areas will be threatened or coerced into voting. And some townships may never get to vote, given the junta's lack of control over large swathes of the country outside its heartland and major cities. One of the country's most powerful ethnic armed groups, the Arakan Army, has said it will not allow elections to be held in territories it controls, which includes most of western Rakhine state. Prev Next And the National Unity Government, an exiled administration which considers itself the legitimate government of Myanmar, has urged the people to 'oppose and resist' participating in the poll, saying the junta 'does not have the right or authority to conduct elections.' There are also signs the military is moving to consolidate its power in those parts of the country it does not control. As it rescinded the nationwide state of emergency, it also imposed martial law in more than 60 townships – giving the military increased powers in resistance strongholds. 'The military has been pushing hard to reclaim the territories it has lost, but regaining consolidated control — especially in the lead-up to the elections — will be a near impossibility within such a short timeframe,' said Ye Myo Hein, a senior fellow at the Southeast Asia Peace Institute, based in Washington DC. 'Instead, holding elections amid this perilous context is likely to trigger even greater violence and escalate conflict nationwide.' Already, there are moves to further quash dissent ahead of the poll. A new law criminalizes criticism of the election, threatening long prison sentences for those opposing or disrupting the vote. And a new cybercrime law expands the regime's online surveillance powers, banning unauthorized use of VPNs and targeting users who access or share content from prohibited social media sites. Min Aung Hlaing recently formed a new governing body, the National Security and Peace Commission (NSPC), replacing the previous State Administration Council. The junta chief also has added chairman of the new regime to the roster of titles he now holds, which includes acting President and chief of the armed forces. And the new interim administration is stacked with loyalists and active military officers. The move was 'nothing more than an old trick — putting old wine in a new bottle,' said Ye Myo Hein. 'The military has used such tactics many times throughout its history to create the illusion of change… The military junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing, remains firmly in the driver's seat.' It has been here before. Myanmar has been governed by successive military regimes since 1962, turning a once prosperous nation into an impoverished pariah state home to some of the world's longest running insurgencies. In 2008, the military regime pushed ahead with constitutional reform that paved the way for a semi-civilian government to take power, while preserving its significant influence on the country's politics. What followed was a decade of limited democratic reform and freedoms that brought greater foreign investment –- including the return of global brands like Coca-cola – and engagement with western nations. A generation of young Myanmar nationals began to dream of a different future to their parents and grandparents, as investment and opportunities poured in. But the military never really gave up political power. When state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi's party stormed to a second term victory in the 2020 election, it came as a surprise to some military figures, who had hoped their own proxy party might take power democratically. The former democracy icon was detained during a coup the following year, tried by a military court and sentenced to 27 years in prison. The 80-year-old's exact whereabouts is still a tightly guarded secret, and the junta has sought to ensure Suu Kyi and her popular, but now dissolved, NLD party would be politically wiped out. By presenting itself as a civilian government, analysts say the military will also try to convince some countries to normalize ties. Russia and China are two of Myanmar's biggest backers, and Thailand and India have pushed for more engagement with the junta to end the crisis on their borders. China's foreign ministry last Thursday said it 'supports Myanmar's development path in line with its national conditions and Myanmar's steady advancement of its domestic political agenda.' In recent weeks, Min Aung Hlaing had unexpectedly good news from the US. A letter from the Trump administration detailing its new tariff rates was spun domestically by the junta leader as increased engagement. Then, the Trump administration dropped sanctions on several companies and individuals responsible for supplying weapons to Myanmar, prompting outcry from the UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar Tom Andrews who called the moved 'unconscionable and a major step backward for efforts to save innocent lives.' Myanmar's Ministry of Information has also signed a $3 million a year deal with Washington lobbying firm DCI Group to help rebuild relations with the US, Reuters news agency recently reported. The group, as well as the US Treasury Department, the US State Department, and Myanmar's Washington embassy did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Democracy supporters opposed to the junta have warned the international community against falling for the military's election plan, and say such a poll will never be accepted by the people. Min Aung Hlaing and his junta 'have sucked all the resources and money than can and the country has nothing left,' said Mi Kun Chan Non, the women's activist. 'Everything has fallen apart … The education system has collapsed; the healthcare system has collapsed. Business is just for the cronies.' So, any future peace negotiations that follow the elections, 'we can never trust,' she said. 'And the situation of the people on the ground will not change.'

This military junta is rebranding itself so it can hold elections, while UN probe finds evidence of intensifying atrocities
This military junta is rebranding itself so it can hold elections, while UN probe finds evidence of intensifying atrocities

CNN

time4 hours ago

  • CNN

This military junta is rebranding itself so it can hold elections, while UN probe finds evidence of intensifying atrocities

As evidence mounts of intensifying atrocities, including the torture of children, being committed in Myanmar, the country's military generals are rebranding their junta regime and planning stage-managed elections in a nation they only control parts of. They've rescinded a four-year state of emergency order, imposed during their 2021 military coup, and formed a caretaker administration to govern the war-torn Southeast Asian country until a new parliament is assembled following a national vote. But it is merely a cosmetic change, analysts say — designed to give the appearance that it's playing by the democratic playbook while remaining firmly in power, something Myanmar's military have a long and notorious history of doing. The election, to be held in stages over December 2025 and January 2026, is resoundingly regarded as a sham and a tool used by the junta to give it a veneer of legitimacy as it seeks to entrench its rule and gain international recognition. The junta's notoriety, though, is only growing. UN investigators have gathered evidence of systemic torture against those detained by the military, summary executions of captured combatants or civilians accused of being informers, children as young as two being detained in place of their parents, and aerial attacks on schools, homes and hospitals. Here's what to know: The United Nations and other rights groups have accused the military of war crimes as it battles democracy fighters and longstanding ethnic armed groups to cling to power. At the head of this junta is Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief who seized power in 2021, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and installed himself as leader. The military, which had previously ruled Myanmar with an iron fist for decades, sought to justify its takeover by alleging widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, which was won in a landslide by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party. The claims were never substantiated. Min Aung Hlaing has been sanctioned and spurned by the West, the country's economy is in tatters, and his military has lost significant territory in its grinding, multi-front civil war. The UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has said that the 'frequency and intensity' of atrocities in the country has only escalated over the past year. Children as young as two years old were often detained in place of their parents and some were also abused and tortured, the group found. It has collected evidence of 'systemic torture' in the military-run detention facilities, including rape and other forms of sexual violence. Some detainees died as a result of the torture, according to the IIMM. Those responsible include specific members and units of security forces involved in operations as well as high-ranking commanders, according to the group. The military has repeatedly denied committing atrocities and says it is targeting 'terrorists.' The junta has not responded to media requests for comment. The junta said its election objectives are for a 'genuine, disciplined multiparty democratic system and the building of a union based on democracy and federalism.' But with most of the country's pro-democracy lawmakers in exile or jail, and the military's widespread repression and attacks on the people, such a vote would never be considered free or fair, observers say. 'It's a sham election… It's not inclusive, it's not legitimate,' Mi Kun Chan Non, a women's activist working with Myanmar's Mon ethnic minority, told CNN. Many observers have warned that Min Aung Hlaing is seeking to legitimize his power grab through the ballot box and rule through proxy political parties. 'He needs to make himself legitimate … He thought that the election is the only way (to do that.),' said Mi Kun Chan Non. The United States and most Western countries have never recognized the junta as the legitimate government of Myanmar, and the election has been denounced by several governments in the region - including Japan and Malaysia. A collective of international election experts said a genuine election in Myanmar 'is impossible under the current conditions,' in a joint statement released by the umbrella organization International Idea. The experts pointed to 'draconian legislation banning opposition political parties, the arrest and detention of political leaders and democracy activists, severe restrictions of the media, and the organization of an unreliable census by the junta as a basis for the voter list.' Others say they cannot trust the military when it continues its campaign of violence, and when its history is littered with false promises of reform. Details on the election process are thin, but many citizens could be casting their votes in an active conflict zone or under the eyes of armed soldiers – a terrifying prospect that some say could lead to more violence. Junta bombs have destroyed homes, schools, markets, places of worship and hospitals, and are a primary cause of the displacement of more than 3.5 million people across the country since the coup. There are fears that those in junta-controlled areas will be threatened or coerced into voting. And some townships may never get to vote, given the junta's lack of control over large swathes of the country outside its heartland and major cities. One of the country's most powerful ethnic armed groups, the Arakan Army, has said it will not allow elections to be held in territories it controls, which includes most of western Rakhine state. Prev Next And the National Unity Government, an exiled administration which considers itself the legitimate government of Myanmar, has urged the people to 'oppose and resist' participating in the poll, saying the junta 'does not have the right or authority to conduct elections.' There are also signs the military is moving to consolidate its power in those parts of the country it does not control. As it rescinded the nationwide state of emergency, it also imposed martial law in more than 60 townships – giving the military increased powers in resistance strongholds. 'The military has been pushing hard to reclaim the territories it has lost, but regaining consolidated control — especially in the lead-up to the elections — will be a near impossibility within such a short timeframe,' said Ye Myo Hein, a senior fellow at the Southeast Asia Peace Institute, based in Washington DC. 'Instead, holding elections amid this perilous context is likely to trigger even greater violence and escalate conflict nationwide.' Already, there are moves to further quash dissent ahead of the poll. A new law criminalizes criticism of the election, threatening long prison sentences for those opposing or disrupting the vote. And a new cybercrime law expands the regime's online surveillance powers, banning unauthorized use of VPNs and targeting users who access or share content from prohibited social media sites. Min Aung Hlaing recently formed a new governing body, the National Security and Peace Commission (NSPC), replacing the previous State Administration Council. The junta chief also has added chairman of the new regime to the roster of titles he now holds, which includes acting President and chief of the armed forces. And the new interim administration is stacked with loyalists and active military officers. The move was 'nothing more than an old trick — putting old wine in a new bottle,' said Ye Myo Hein. 'The military has used such tactics many times throughout its history to create the illusion of change… The military junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing, remains firmly in the driver's seat.' It has been here before. Myanmar has been governed by successive military regimes since 1962, turning a once prosperous nation into an impoverished pariah state home to some of the world's longest running insurgencies. In 2008, the military regime pushed ahead with constitutional reform that paved the way for a semi-civilian government to take power, while preserving its significant influence on the country's politics. What followed was a decade of limited democratic reform and freedoms that brought greater foreign investment –- including the return of global brands like Coca-cola – and engagement with western nations. A generation of young Myanmar nationals began to dream of a different future to their parents and grandparents, as investment and opportunities poured in. But the military never really gave up political power. When state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi's party stormed to a second term victory in the 2020 election, it came as a surprise to some military figures, who had hoped their own proxy party might take power democratically. The former democracy icon was detained during a coup the following year, tried by a military court and sentenced to 27 years in prison. The 80-year-old's exact whereabouts is still a tightly guarded secret, and the junta has sought to ensure Suu Kyi and her popular, but now dissolved, NLD party would be politically wiped out. By presenting itself as a civilian government, analysts say the military will also try to convince some countries to normalize ties. Russia and China are two of Myanmar's biggest backers, and Thailand and India have pushed for more engagement with the junta to end the crisis on their borders. China's foreign ministry last Thursday said it 'supports Myanmar's development path in line with its national conditions and Myanmar's steady advancement of its domestic political agenda.' In recent weeks, Min Aung Hlaing had unexpectedly good news from the US. A letter from the Trump administration detailing its new tariff rates was spun domestically by the junta leader as increased engagement. Then, the Trump administration dropped sanctions on several companies and individuals responsible for supplying weapons to Myanmar, prompting outcry from the UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar Tom Andrews who called the moved 'unconscionable and a major step backward for efforts to save innocent lives.' Myanmar's Ministry of Information has also signed a $3 million a year deal with Washington lobbying firm DCI Group to help rebuild relations with the US, Reuters news agency recently reported. The group, as well as the US Treasury Department, the US State Department, and Myanmar's Washington embassy did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Democracy supporters opposed to the junta have warned the international community against falling for the military's election plan, and say such a poll will never be accepted by the people. Min Aung Hlaing and his junta 'have sucked all the resources and money than can and the country has nothing left,' said Mi Kun Chan Non, the women's activist. 'Everything has fallen apart … The education system has collapsed; the healthcare system has collapsed. Business is just for the cronies.' So, any future peace negotiations that follow the elections, 'we can never trust,' she said. 'And the situation of the people on the ground will not change.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store