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Axios
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
North Korea detains 4 officials over failed warship launch
Officials in North Korea detained four officials over the failed launch of a new warship last week in the northeastern port city of Chongjin, per state media. The big picture: The incident last Thursday that analysts said left the 5,000-ton destroyer badly damaged drew a rare public rebuke from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who described the mishap as a "criminal act." Details: Officials detained Ri Hyong Son, vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, reported the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Monday, which said he "was greatly responsible for the occurrence of the serious accident." Rodong Sinmun reported earlier the detention of three others: Kang Jong Chol, chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard; Han Kyong Hak, head of the hull construction workshop; and Kim Yong Hak, deputy manager for administrative affairs.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Eyewitness News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
N. Korea detains another official over warship launch accident
SEOUL - North Korea has detained another official over last week's failed launch of a warship, which damaged the 5,000-ton naval destroyer, state media reported Monday. Pyongyang announced "a serious accident" at Wednesday's launch ceremony, which crushed sections of the bottom of the newly built destroyer. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the mishap a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness". Ri Hyong Son, vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, was summoned and detained Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency reported. He was "greatly responsible for the occurrence of the serious accident", it said. Ri is the fourth person reportedly detained in connection with the accident, following the detention of three individuals over the weekend, including the chief engineer at the shipyard. KCNA reported on Friday that shipyard manager Hong Kil Ho had been summoned by law enforcement "At the scene of the destroyer launch accident, the work for completely restoring the balance of the warship is being actively conducted," KCNA said, adding that it is done "according to its schedule." READ: North Korea's Kim holds security meeting over drone flights South Korea's military said that Washington and Seoul's intelligence authorities had 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". The South Korean military estimated that based on its size and scale, the newly built warship is 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.
Saudi Gazette
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
North Korea arrests four over failed warship launch
SEOUL — 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 had ordered the destroyer to be restored before the late June plenary session of the ruling Workers' Party, calling the matter one of national 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 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 could be complicated depending on the amount of sea water that entered the warship, according to 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 the flushing work cannot begin until the ship is righted and any holes in the hull are patched, he reported Monday that 'the work for completely restoring the balance of the warship is being actively conducted,' but it did not give a 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 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 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
France 24
26-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
North Korea arrests fourth official over failed launch of warship
North Korea has detained another official over last week's failed launch of a warship, which damaged the 5,000-ton naval destroyer, state media reported Monday. Pyongyang announced "a serious accident" at Wednesday's launch ceremony, which crushed sections of the bottom of the newly built destroyer. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the mishap a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness". Ri Hyong Son, vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, was summoned and detained Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency reported. He was "greatly responsible for the occurrence of the serious accident", it said. Ri is the fourth person reportedly detained in connection with the accident, following the detention of three individuals over the weekend, including the chief engineer at the shipyard. KCNA reported on Friday that shipyard manager Hong Kil Ho had been summoned by law enforcement. "At the scene of the destroyer launch accident, the work for completely restoring the balance of the warship is being actively conducted," KCNA said, adding that it is done "according to its schedule." South Korea's military said that Washington and Seoul's intelligence authorities had 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". The South Korean military estimated that based on its size and scale, the newly built warship is 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.
