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CNN
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
North Korea arrests four over failed warship launch as images show vessel shielded from prying eyes
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.
RTÉ News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
N Korea detains three over warship launch accident, says state media
North Korea has detained three people over an accident that occurred during the launch of a new warship this past week, state media reported. 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-ton 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. 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". 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.
Epoch Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
North Korea Detains 3 Officials After Botched Warship Launch
North Korean authorities have detained three shipyard officials in connection with the botched launch of its newest warship, according to a state media report. This new warship, North Korea's second-ever destroyer, was due to launch from the Chongjin shipyard on May 21, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. The publication reported that the stern of the ship slid out, but the bow became stuck during the launch, causing the ship to become unbalanced. The incident reportedly left holes along some sections of the bottom of the ship. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was in attendance at the launch ceremony and rebuked the military officials, engineers, and shipbuilders responsible for the ship and its launch, saying the mishap was a criminal act. The Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea subsequently ordered an investigation into the incident. This investigative team reportedly submitted its findings on Saturday, after which North Korean law enforcement officers detained Kang Jong Chol, chief engineer of the shipyard; Han Kyong Hak, who led the hull construction workshop, and Kim Yong Hak, who handled administrative matters related to the launch. In addition to reporting the arrest of these three officials, the Korean Central News Agency reported that there has been no additional damage to the new warship, and repair teams were pushing ahead to fix it. Related Stories 4/28/2025 3/10/2025 Weighing in at about 5,000 tonnes, the damaged warship was the second of its class for North Korea. The first ship launched with more success last month. This destroyer represents the largest and most advanced warship in the North Korean fleet, and Kim described its development as 'a breakthrough' in modernizing North Korea's naval forces. North Korea remains a heavily insulated society, and admissions of failures are uncommon. Joseph Dempsey, a military analyst for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, suggested North Korean officials likely decided to be upfront about the failure in this case because they'd have little chance of concealing the incident for long. 'North Korea's admission of failure is rare but would have likely been undeniable once satellite imagery reveals the extent of the 'serious accident,'' Dempsey wrote in a May 22 The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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.
