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Japan Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Three detained and blamed for North Korean warship accident
North Korea said Sunday that three people had been detained over an accident involving one of the country's newest destroyers last week — an incident that was seen as a public embarrassment to strongman Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang said last week that a 'serious accident' took place as Kim attended a launching ceremony at the shipyard in Chongjin on the country's eastern coast that saw 'sections of the warship's bottom crushed.' The North's official Korean Central News Agency said that an investigation into the accident — which Kim earlier labeled an intolerable "criminal act" — 'is being intensified.' Analysts said the incident likely occurred in front of a large crowd, dealing Kim a rare public humiliation. The KCNA report said the detained were Kang Jong Chol, the chief engineer at the Chongjin shipyard, Han Kyong Hak, head of the hull construction workshop, and Kim Yong Hak, deputy manager for administrative affairs. It said the three were "responsible for the accident." Shipyard manager Hong Kil Ho had been earlier questioned by law enforcement. One contributing factor to the accident may have been the shipyard itself, analysts said, calling the choice to undertake construction of the warship there 'unusual.' 'The shipyard has previously primarily produced cargo vessels, fishing vessels and dredgers and undoubtedly lacks significant expertise in manufacturing and launching large warships such as the new destroyer,' experts wrote in an analysis for the Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) Beyond Parallel website. The ultimate fate of the three who appeared to take the blame for the accident remains unclear, but Kim has a history of making examples out of those who fall short of his expectations or embarrass him — including the 2013 execution of his once-powerful uncle. The South Korean military said last week that it believed the failure to have occurred after an attempt to 'side-launch' the vessel had failed, leaving the ship lying on its side. Commercial satellite imagery taken Thursday confirmed that the ship was on its side. Sunday's KCNA report emphasized that 'there is no additional identified damage to the warship,' after an earlier inspection said the extent of the damage was 'not serious.' That inspection found no holes in the vessel's bottom, but discovered the starboard hull had been scratched and seawater had flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel. The North was 'pushing ahead with the rehabilitation plan as scheduled,' KCNA said Sunday. Analysts were not as sanguine. 'The failed launch is an embarrassment to Kim Jong Un and North Korea's Korean People's Navy (KPN). The (destroyer) will not be entering service anytime soon and may ultimately prove to be a complete loss,' the CSIS experts wrote. 'This failure has undoubtedly disrupted Kim's planned timeline for the development of the KPN from a coastal defense force into a nascent blue-water force capable of strategic offensive operations,' it added, referring to the North Korean leader's goal of equipping his naval forces with nuclear-tipped arms. Pyongyang has hinted that it is equipping its new destroyers with nuclear-capable weapons, including a 'supersonic cruise missile,' 'strategic cruise missile' and 'tactical ballistic missile.' North Korea often uses the term 'strategic' to refer to weapons that are nuclear capable, while 'tactical' can refer to missiles that can be fitted with lower-yield battlefield nuclear bombs or conventional warheads. The push is part of a five-year military buildup plan Kim announced in 2021. The Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency said in a report released Friday that Kim 'is increasingly confident in his international political legitimacy and regime security' thanks to his focus on advanced missiles and nuclear weapons. 'North Korea is in its strongest strategic position in decades, possessing the military means to hold at risk U.S. forces and U.S. allies in Northeast Asia, while continuing to improve its capability to threaten the U.S. Homeland,' the report said.
CNA
25-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
North Korea detains 3 officials over warship launch accident: State media
SEOUL: North Korea has detained three people over an accident that occurred during the launch of a new warship this past week, state media reported early Sunday (May 25). The failed launch that crippled the 5,000-tonne warship was witnessed by leader Kim Jong Un who said the accident damaged the country's dignity and vowed to punish those found responsible, calling it a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness". The mishap likely occurred in front of a large crowd at the northeastern port of Chongjin, increasing the public humiliation for Kim who tried to show off military might, experts say. Those detained are Kang Jong Chol, the chief engineer at the Chongjin shipyard; Han Kyong Hak, head of the hull construction workshop; and Kim Yong Hak, deputy manager for administrative affairs, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The KCNA report said the three were "responsible for the accident". Satellite imagery shows the warship, covered in blue tarps, lying on its side, with the stern swung out into the harbour, but the bow remaining on the side slipway, according to the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. South Korea's military said US and Seoul intelligence authorities assessed that North Korea's "side-launch attempt" of the ship failed, and the vessel was left listing in the water. KCNA, however, reported that an "underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship's bottom", calling the extent of the damage "not serious". Kim has ordered the ship restored before a ruling party meeting in June. KCNA said the rehabilitation plan was pushing ahead. Based on its size and scale, the South Korean military said the newly built warship is believed to be similarly equipped to the 5,000-ton destroyer-class vessel Choe Hyon, which North Korea unveiled last month. Pyongyang has said the Choe Hyon is equipped with the "most powerful weapons", and that it would "enter into operation early next year". Seoul's military has said the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian help - possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine. Analysts say the warship involved in Wednesday's accident may have also been constructed with Russian assistance. Against US military buildup in the region, North Korea's armed forces "will thoroughly contain and control all sorts of military threats from the enemy countries", KCNA said in a separate dispatch citing the policy chief at the defence ministry.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
North Korea ‘arrests three over humiliating warship disaster' after Kim Jong-un's vow to punish those behind mishap
NORTH Korea has arrested three shipyard bosses after a humiliating warship launch flop that Kim Jong-un called a 'criminal act'. The 5,000-tonne destroyer – hailed as a symbol of military might – ended up crushed and listing in the harbour during a high-profile launch in the port city of Chongjin last Wednesday. State media on Sunday said three officials – chief engineer Kang Jong Chol, hull workshop head Han Kyong Hak, and deputy manager Kim Yong Hak – were detained over the 'serious accident'. Kim Jong-un, who watched the botched launch unfold in person, reportedly fumed that the fiasco had 'damaged the country's dignity'. The Pyongyang tyrant has since ordered the ship to be restored by next month's ruling party meeting, with repairs already under way. KCNA said the incident was 'a criminal act caused by absolute carelessness' and insisted those involved 'can never evade their responsibility for the crime'. Satellite images showed the vessel lying on its side, covered in blue tarps. The stern appeared to have slipped into the water while the bow remained on the shipway – a spectacle experts say amplified the embarrassment for the regime. 'No matter how good the state of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unpardonable criminal act remains unchanged,' KCNA added. South Korea's military, citing joint analysis with US intelligence, said Pyongyang's side-launch attempt of the ship had failed and left it crippled. .
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
North Korea detains 3 over warship launch accident
North Korea has detained three people over an accident that occurred during the launch of a new warship this past week, state media reported early on Sunday. Pyongyang has said that 'a serious accident occurred' at Wednesday's launch ceremony in the eastern port city of Chongjin for a newly built 5,000-tonne naval destroyer, in which sections of the bottom of the vessel were crushed. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the mishap a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness'. Those detained are Kang Jong-chol, the chief engineer at the Chongjin shipyard; Han Kyong-hak, head of the hull construction workshop; and Kim Yong-hak, deputy manager for administrative affairs, the Korean Central News Agency reported. The KCNA report said the three were 'responsible for the accident'. On Friday, KCNA reported that shipyard manager Hong Kil-ho had been summoned by law enforcement.
