Latest news with #destroyer
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
North Korea's Kim Jong Un is beefing up his navy. Can he succeed?
North Korea's newest 5,000-ton destroyer failed to launch, in an embarrassing accident witnessed in real time by the reclusive country's leader, Kim Jong Un. But analysts caution the failure wouldn't stop Kim's ambition to modernize his naval force.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
How North Korea Botched the Launch of a Warship
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, watched the country's newest 5,000-ton destroyer capsize during its launch last week in an embarrassing military failure. Experts say a technique used to maneuver the ship into the water sideways was part of the problem. It was the first time analysts had observed North Korea using the sideways launch for warships and pointed to a lack of experience, as well as political pressure from Mr. Kim for quick results, for the mishap. Three shipyard officials, including the chief shipyard engineer, and a senior munitions official have been arrested, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, after Mr. Kim called the capsizing a criminal act. Satellite imagery from three days before the accident showed the 470-foot-long vessel, the biggest class of warships Pyongyang has ever built, on top of a launch ramp. About 40 meters from the ship, a structure that appeared to be a viewing area and likely where Mr. Kim was stationed during the incident, was under construction. The destroyer was assembled in Chongjin, a port city on North Korea's northeastern coast, which is known for producing smaller vessels, such as cargo ships and fishing boats. In a report published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a research institute in Washington, analysts said the shipyard 'undoubtedly' lacked expertise in manufacturing and launching large warships. The ill-fated warship was assessed by analysts to be the same size and configuration as the Choe Hyon guided missile destroyer, the North's first destroyer and the most powerful surface ship the country has ever built. That vessel is the pride of Mr. Kim's ambitious plan to modernize and expand his Soviet-era naval fleet, and was the centerpiece of a grand christening ceremony last month in Nampo, a west coast port near Pyongyang. State media footage showed an elaborate event with confetti and fireworks that was attended by Mr. Kim and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae. A large viewing platform was set up near the Choe Hyun, which was already afloat in the water. That launch went smoothly, according to state media. Engineers used a technique common for large and heavy vessels. They appear to have built the Choe Hyun inside a roofed construction hall in Nampo, brought it out on a floating dry dock and then set it afloat by letting water into the dry dock, said Choi Il, a retired South Korean Navy captain. But the shipyard in Chongjin didn't have a dry dock large enough to build a Choe Hyun-class destroyer nor an incline to slide the ship stern first into the water. Engineers built the ship on the quay under a netting. When it was completed, they had to launch it sideways off the platform. When properly executed, the vessel glides down the slipway lengthwise and briefly plunges into the water, like this 3,500-ton USS Cleveland warship did in Wisconsin in 2023. Often a tugboat is stationed nearby to assist after the launch. But when engineers tried to push the North Korean destroyer into the water, it lost its balance, state media said. Satellite imagery taken two days after the accident showed the ship covered in blue tarp and lying on its right side. The bow was stuck on the ramp as the stern jutted into the harbor. The viewing platform had been removed. Launching big ships sideways requires delicate balancing work, said Mr. Choi, the retired South Korean Navy captain. The heavy weapons mounted on the destroyer could have made the task even more difficult, he added. A few days after the first Choe Hyun-class destroyer was launched last month, Mr. Kim proudly watched it test-fire various missiles. He has visited shipyards to exhort engineers to meet his timetable for naval expansion and appears to have planned to launch the second destroyer with similar fanfare and weapons tests. Engineers at Chongjin, who worked with less developed facilities than their peers in Nampo, must have felt enormous pressure after the successful launch in Nampo, South Korean analysts said. That might have led them to cut corners, they said. North Korea has said that it can restore the ship's balance by pumping out the seawater. In another 10 days or so, it could repair the ship's side damaged in the accident, according to state media. But the damage looked worse than the country claimed, said Yang Uk, an expert on the North Korean military at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. The accident may be due not only to a defective sideways launching system but also to the ship's structural imbalance, he said. 'The ship looks a bit twisted after the accident,' he said. 'It doesn't appear to have been built with the structural strength required for a warship.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea detains four officials over naval destroyer debacle
North Korean authorities have detained four officials after the launch of a naval destroyer ended in failure last week, its state media reported, in a debacle that the country's dictator Kim Jong-un said was caused by 'criminal negligence'. Kim, who attended the event on Wednesday in the northeastern port of Chongjin, was said to be furious after the launch of the pariah state's second naval destroyer was marred by an accident and lost its balance. Satellite imagery showed the vessel toppled over and draped in blue covers, with parts of the warship submerged. It is unusual for Pyongyang to acknowledge military-related setbacks and publicly punish officials over them, with analysts saying it reflects how serious Kim is about North Korea's naval modernisation. Soon after the embarrassing incident, Kim blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for the botched launch, labelling it a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism'. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that authorities detained Ri Hyong-son, vice director of the munitions industry department at the ruling Workers Party's Central Committee, who said it was 'greatly responsible' for the failed launch. Three other officials – the chief engineer, head of the hull construction workshop and deputy manager for administrative affairs – were also detained, it reported, while the shipyard manager was called in for questioning. Wednesday's incident followed the successful launch of North Korea's first naval destroyer last month, with Kim hailing its construction 'a breakthrough' in modernising North Korea's navy. State media reported that the ship – the country's most advanced – is designed to carry modern weapons including nuclear missiles. South Korean officials said the warship, named the Choe Hyon, was likely built with the aid of Russia. Kim has presented his efforts to develop Pyongyang's military capabilities as crucial in repelling perceived threats from the US and its regional allies. Despite publicly detaining officials and Kim's outraged reaction to last week's incident, North Korea denied the second destroyer suffered major damage and claimed on Friday that it would require 10 days to be repaired, though commentators said it was likely to be downplaying the damage. Korea Foundation Fellow at Chatham House's Asia-Pacific Programme Dr Edward Howell told Euronews that the high number of officials detained highlights that 'this is an extremely embarrassing incident from Kim Jong-un'. Howell, who is also a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Oxford, said that while the regime has at times admitted to making mistakes before, Kim's insistence that the destroyer could be repaired within 10 days was intended as a demonstration of the country's ability 'to rebound quickly'. 'Despite the embarrassing incident, North Korea has no intention of turning back on its naval or military modernisation," he said. "This is part and parcel of Kim Jong-un's desire for greater status and prestige.' The launch of the destroyer was significant due to its missile capabilities, he said, noting that like the Choe Hyon launched in April, it is equipped with systems able to launch surface-to-air and cruise missiles. 'This, for me, is very important because it highlights how these warships are part and parcel of not only modernising North Korea's navy, but also, what Kim Jong Un's ultimate goal is: for North Korea to be recognised as a de facto nuclear armed state," Howell said. 'North Korea has always wanted to be recognised as a de facto nuclear armed state, so it can try to convince the rest of the world, particularly the US, to conclude a peace treaty to end the Korean War." Howell added that this would be 'disastrous for regional security'. 'Because if North Korea signed a peace treaty with South Korea, the rationale for the 28,500 US troops in South Korea would go out the window," he explained. 'The nuclear ambitions are inextricably linked with Kim's desire for regime survival, but also to his desire for North Korea to be seen as an equal power, of equal status, to the United States," Howell said. "The development of these warships is intertwined with this nuclear recognition.'
Free Malaysia Today
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Serious accident at N. Korea's warship launch ceremony
Pyongyang unveiled another 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel named Choe Hyon last month. (KCNA/EPA Images pic) SEOUL : A major accident occurred at a launch ceremony for a new North Korean naval destroyer, state media reported today, with leader Kim Jong Un saying the mishap was a 'criminal act'. At a ceremony to launch a new 5,000-tonne destroyer in the eastern port city of Chongjin yesterday 'a serious accident occurred', the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Blaming 'inexperienced command and operational carelessness' during the launch, which was being observed by Kim, KCNA said there was a mishap which left 'some sections of the warship's bottom crushed'. It said the accident managed to 'destroy the balance of the warship'. Kim watched the entire incident and declared it a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness', warning it 'could not be tolerated'. He said the 'irresponsible errors' of officials responsible would be 'dealt with at the plenary meeting of the party central committee to be convened next month.' Pyongyang unveiled another 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel named Choe Hyon last month. At the time, state media ran images of Kim attending a ceremony with his daughter Ju Ae, considered by many experts to be his likely successor. North Korea claimed the vessel was equipped with the 'most powerful weapons', and that it would 'enter into operation early next year'. Some analysts said the ship could be equipped with short-range tactical nuclear missiles – although North Korea has not proven it has the ability to miniaturise its nukes. The South Korean 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 Kyiv. Russia and North Korea recently announced that they had started building the first road bridge linking the two neighbours. North Korea also launched a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions. Experts have long warned that the nuclear-armed North may be testing weapons for export to Russia for use against Ukraine. In March, Kim inspected a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, asserting that 'radically' boosting the navy was a key part of Pyongyang's defensive strategy. Kim called at the time for the modernisation of the country's surface and underwater naval forces, including the development of warships. Pyongyang has previously claimed to be developing underwater nuclear attack drones, which could unleash a 'radioactive tsunami', but analysts have questioned whether it actually has such a weapon. Washington – Seoul's key security ally – has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an 'irreversible' nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion.
Free Malaysia Today
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
N. Korea detains three over warship launch accident
A satellite image shows a blue tarp covering a North Korean destroyer after a failed launch during its sea trial in Chongjin. (AP pic) PYONGYANG : 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. 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. 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. Analysts say the warship involved in Wednesday's accident may have also been constructed with Russian assistance.
