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UPI
23-05-2025
- Politics
- UPI
North Korea launches full-scale probe into warship accident
A satellite image shared by British research organization Open Source Centre on Thursday shows a North Korean warship listing on its side and covered by blue tarpaulins after a failed launch attempt at Chongjin Shipyard earlier this week. Photo courtesy of Open Source Center /X SEOUL, May 23 (UPI) -- North Korea began a full-scale investigation into an accident that damaged a new warship at its launch ceremony this week, state-run media reported Friday, with investigators vowing that those culpable "can never evade their responsibility for the crime." The accident occurred on Wednesday at the Chongjin Shipyard during the launch ceremony for the 5,000-ton destroyer. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who was in attendance, called the incident a "criminal act" and said it "could not be tolerated." South Korea's military assessed afterward that the North had attempted to "side-launch" the vessel by sliding it into the water sideways rather than launching it from a drydock, a technique analysts believe Pyongyang had never used before. Satellite imagery captured by Airbus Space and shared on X on Thursday by British research organization Open Source Centre showed the warship listing on its side, draped by blue tarpaulins. OSC called the coverings "a visible attempt to contain the disaster." While the North's initial media account on Thursday claimed that sections of the ship's hull were crushed during the launch mishap, Friday's report in state-run Korean Central News Agency downplayed the damage. "Detailed underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship's bottom," the KCNA report said. The hull starboard was scratched and seawater flowed into the stern section, KCNA said, calling the extent of the damage "not serious." It would take around 10 days to restore the warship's damaged side, the report added. Kim Jong Un blamed government officials, engineers and shipyard workers for the incident, KCNA reported on Thursday. He warned that their "irresponsible errors" would be dealt with at a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party central committee next month. The accident "brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse," Kim said, and ordered the ship to be restored before the June meeting. Hong Kil Ho, manager of the Chongjin Shipyard, was summoned by authorities, the KCNA report said Friday. The ruling party's Central Military Commission instructed investigators to determine the cause of the accident and find those responsible for it, KCNA said. "No matter how good the state of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unpardonable criminal act remains unchanged, and those responsible for it can never evade their responsibility for the crime," the military commission said. The destroyer was the second warship introduced by North Korea in recent weeks, following the launch of its 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer at the Nampo Shipyard on April 25. That vessel is armed with a wide range of weapons, including supersonic cruise missiles and strategic cruise missiles, according to North Korean reports. Photos released by the North showed that the Choe Hyon's missile and radar systems resemble those found on Russian vessels, prompting speculation that Pyongyang received technical assistance from Moscow in its development. North Korea has deployed troops, artillery and weapons to Russia to aid in Moscow's war against Ukraine, and is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs. The warship damaged during the launch accident appears to be similarly equipped to the Choe Hyon, South Korea's military said Thursday.
Axios
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Kim Jong-un calls failed North Korean warship launch a "criminal act"
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un responded with fury after watching a "serious accident" occur during the launch of a new warship on Thursday that he described as a "criminal act," the state-run KCNA reported. Why it matters: It's highly unusual for Kim to criticize his defense forces or for state media to report on an error — though KCNA did not disclose whether there were any casualties as it reported that parts of the 5,000-ton destroyer were crushed in the incident. Details: KCNA said the incident occurred due to "inexperienced command and operational carelessness in the course of the launch." Kim made a "stern assessment, saying that it was a serious accident and criminal act caused by sheer carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism which should never occur and could not be tolerated," per KCNA. He ordered that the ship be restored following the incident at the shipyard in the northeastern port city of Chongjin "that lowered the dignity and self-respect of our state," according to KCNA North Korean officials have launched "a full-scale investigation" into the matter, KCNA said on Friday morning local time. "It is necessary to make clear the cause of the accident," KCNA said. Between the lines: KCNA reported that the "extent of damage to the warship is not serious," but the U.K.-based Open Source Centre noted on X that satellite images of the frigate on its side beside the dock show it was "significantly damaged." The high resolution imagery "shows the ship lies partially submerged on its side, tarpaulins draped over the wreckage in a visible attempt to contain the disaster," said the nonprofit that works in open source intelligence and analytics.
Korea Herald
23-05-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Satellite photo shows N. Korea's new warship capsized at shipyard
North Korea's new warship that failed to properly launch into the sea this week lies partially submerged on its side while being draped over with tarpaulins, a British research organization has said, citing commercial satellite imagery. The Open Source Centre posted the image taken Thursday of the warship at a shipyard in North Korea's northeastern city of Chongjin on X, a day after the 5,000-ton naval destroyer's failed launch ceremony. "High resolution satellite imagery from @AirbusSpace shows the ship lies partially submerged on its side, tarpaulins draped over the wreckage in a visible attempt to contain the disaster," it said. North Korea said Thursday the warship experienced a "serious accident" during its launch and some sections of its bottom were "crushed." North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who attended the ceremony, called the accident a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated. South Korea's military said the North appears to have failed in using a side launching technique and the destroyer remains partially capsized in the sea. On Friday, the North said it has launched an investigation into the accident, while noting that the extent of the damage to the warship is "not serious." (Yonhap)
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Aftermath Of Disastrous North Korean Frigate Launch Seen In Satellite Image
North Korea's latest frigate has been significantly damaged in an embarrassing incident during its launch ceremony, which was attended by Kim Jong Un. The country's leader described the mishap as a 'criminal act,' before calling for the warship to be quickly restored. Satellite imagery circulating online shows the vessel lying on its side next to the dock where it was launched. Blue tarpaulins are seen draped over it an effort to obscure the incident from prying eyes in orbit overhead. Satellite image of the frigate on its side next to the dock seen in the tweet below: North Korea's latest naval destroyer has been significantly damaged prior to its launch. In a rare acknowledgment, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported yesterday an incident occurred with a new destroyer in Chongjin, which was close to being launched. — Open Source Centre (@osc_london) May 22, 2025 The vessel is the second of its class, following the Choi Hyon, which was officially unveiled last month. You can read all about the heavily armed class of frigates in our previous detailed analysis and follow-up report. The new frigate, the name of which is unknown, was being launched in the eastern port city of Chongjin yesterday. In a very rare move, the incident was quickly confirmed by North Korea, perhaps in an effort to get ahead of the news cycle once satellite imagery of the warship put any question about what had happened beyond doubt. Pyongyang's state-run KCNA news agency provided the following details of what happened: 'Due to inexperienced command and operational carelessness, the parallel movement of the bogies could not be guaranteed, resulting in the launching sled in the stern detaching first and causing the ship to capsize. The ship's balance was destroyed due to a rupture in the hull in some sections, and the bow section was unable to detach from the keel.' The repercussions for those blamed for the incident, which 'brought the dignity and self-respect of [the] state to a collapse,' are likely to be severe. 'Kim Jong Un made [a] stern assessment, saying that it was a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility … and could not be tolerated,' KCNA reported. Kim said that the officials found responsible would be 'dealt with at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee' in June. This is a high-level meeting of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. At the same time, Kim called for the frigate to be restored before next month's meeting. This is a highly questionable timeline for the repairs, which are likely to be very extensive. 'The urgent restoration of the destroyer is not a simple practical issue, but a political issue directly related to the authority of the country,' Kim added. Notably, the frigate was side-launched from the quay, in a new development for North Korea, which has previously used slipways to put large naval vessels into the water stern-first. This @Planet 20 May capture shows the North Korean vessel moved from screened assembly area ahead of the Nampo example was launched via floating drydock the Chongjin example appears to use a different side oiled slideway launching systemhttps:// — Joseph Dempsey (@JosephHDempsey) May 22, 2025 Side-launch of a ship is often used where the water channel is too confined to allow for a slipway. While spectacular, this method is more complicated, requiring extensive support of the ship's weight along the length of its hull. A video shows the side-launch of the future Littoral Combat Ship USS into the Menominee River in 2013: The frigate is the second of its kind, which, with an estimated displacement of 5,000 tons, is the biggest in the North Korean naval fleet. The first of the class, the Choi Hyon, was launched in April at the western port of Nampo. As we reported at the time, only days after commissioning, the Choi Hyon was demonstrated firing a variety of weapons from its large array of vertical launch system (VLS) cells. The missiles appeared to include a previously unknown air defense missile and possibly a new supersonic cruise missile. The most impressive feature of the North Korean frigate is its extensive array of VLS cells. As we have discussed before, the sheer number of VLS cells on this ship — 74 in all — is impressive, and these are provided in four (or possibly even five) different sizes to accommodate a wide range of missiles, including ballistic types. Before this incident, however, there had been possible signs of corners being cut in the rushed program to build these vessels. When the Choi Hyon was conducting weapons trials, there was a surprising suggestion that the warship still didn't have its full set of propulsion machinery fitted. This would imply that the vessel was towed out of the harbor for its weapons tests, which is a possibility. That might also help explain claims that North Korea built the Choi Hyon in just over a year. No engine is installed ? ! — 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) April 30, 2025 The speed of construction of the second frigate, at Chongjin, has also been rapid, and it's likely that corners were cut to speed this prestigious program. On the other hand, mishaps during the launching of vessels, including warships, are also not entirely uncommon. Meanwhile, the fact that North Korea is undertaking the simultaneous construction of two warships of this size in different locations is an impressive feat in itself. It points to just how important this program is to the regime and that its aspirations of putting by far its most impressive warship design into serial production are already manifesting (or at least attempting to). However, the fact that this is being done without first testing one of those hulls adds a significant level of concurrent risk. As we have discussed before, North Korea's frigate construction program is probably more about national prestige than building a credible fleet of surface combatants, evidenced by the fanfare surrounding the official unveiling of the Choi Hyon and the Kim attending its weapons trials. At the same time, even a token capability can be powerful, especially if these frigates' ballistic and cruise missiles can also be nuclear armed for strategic attacks. Perhaps we will eventually learn more about what went wrong during yesterday's launch, but for now, it's an embarrassing setback for Pyongyang's ambitious naval development program. Contact the author: thomas@
Hindustan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
US to seek UN sanctions on ships taking North Korean coal to China
May 7 - The United States said on Wednesday it plans to call for U.N. sanctions against vessels identified as taking part in circumvention of United Nations resolutions to combat North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The British-based Open Source Centre issued a report on Wednesday saying that in the past year it had tracked a number of non-Korean flagged vessels transporting North Korean coal and iron ore to ports in China, in violation of U.N. sanctions. Speaking at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, James Byrne, director of the Open Source Centre, identified several vessels, including the Tanzanian-flagged Armani and Sophia, the falsely-flagged Cartier and Casio, and the unflagged Yi Li 1 and An Yu. Byrne said the vessels had started engaging in sophisticated "spoofing" techniques, such as by presenting digital tracks to indicate they were in other countries, when satellite imagery showed them loading in North Korea. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Camille Shea said the Security Council would continue to highlight sanctions violations despite Russia's veto last year of the mandate of the panel of experts that monitored such violations on behalf of the U.N.'s 1718 Committee on North Korea. "In the coming days, we plan to nominate for designation in the 1718 Committee vessels clearly identified in the briefing to which Mr. Byrne referred for violations of U.N. sanctions restrictions," she said. Shea accused Russia of "cynically obstructing" sanctions implementation, including though importation of North Korean missiles and shells for use in its war in Ukraine. She accused Chinese authorities of "looking the other way" as Chinese companies import North Korean coal and iron ore, even though Beijing insists it fully implements the U.N. resolutions. Geng Shuang, China's deputy U.N. ambassador, said China rejected U.S. "accusations and smearing" and charged that Washington was using the North Korea issue as a pretext for strategic military deployments that jeopardized the security interests of regional countries, including China. Russian U.N. ambassador Vasily Nebenzya dismissed criticism of its relationship and cooperation with North Korea, saying it was Moscow's sovereign right and that Russia was "very grateful to our Korean brothers for the assistance they've extended to us." North Korea's U.N. ambassador Kim Song accused the United States of "high-handedness and arbitrariness" that should not be tolerated by the international community.
