The newest warship in Noord -Korea was seriously damaged during a launch ceremony on Wednesday, with leader Kim Jong Un, who witnessed the accident and said that it brought shame to the prestige of the nation and promised to punish those responsible, the state media reported.
In a rare admission of the failure, the official Korean central news agency (KCNA) said that a malfunction in the launch mechanism caused the stern of the so far not to further aforementioned 5000 tonnes of torpedo hunter to slide into the water prematurely and to leave the bow on the ship's road.
Kim called the launch failure 'a criminal act' and blamed 'absolute carelessness' and 'irresponsible' by multiple state institutions – including the Munitions Industry, Kim Chaek University of Technology and the Central Ship Design Bureau.
Satellite images showed the ship that was on its side, the stern in the water and the bow still on the land. Staatsmedia did not immediately release images of the accident.
Marine analysts said that the damage that a ship has suffered in such a launch disorders can be 'catastrophic'.
This satellite image shows the second -new destroyer of Noord -Korea in Chongjin Shipyard, Noord -Korea, on May 18, 2025, just a few days before it was damaged by “Serious accident” during a launch ceremony -Maxar Technologies
“If the ship does not move together, the stress will tear the hull apart,” Sal Mercogliano, a professor at Campbell University in North Carolina and a maritime expert, told CNN.
Naval analyst Carl Schuster in Hawaii, after revising the KCNA account, said he thinks the stress would “induce the hull, induce cracks and (possibly) the keel can break, depending on where the biggest stress drops.”
The launch failure marks a setback for what analysts have seen as the most ambitious navy modernization efforts of Noord -Korea in decades.
The ship would become the second large navy surface ship that was quickly unveiled in succession by Noord -Korea. In April, Kim de Choe Hyon, the first newly built destroyer of the country in decades, revealed his ambition to build more torpedo hunters and various cruisers and frigates.
The Choe Hyon, described as a warship of the “new generation”, received considerable fanfare with state media and said that it would strengthen the navy of the development in the midst of what Pyongyang calls rising threats from the United States and South Korea.
Western defense analysts noted that the Choe Hyon meant a deviation from the aging ships from the Soviet era that dominated the navy of the Korean people. Although details remain scarce, satellite images and images suggested that the Choe Hyon could share design elements with similar Russian naval ships.
The spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea, Lee Sung-Joon, said that the ship that was damaged on Wednesday was thought that it was equipped like the Choe Hyon.
Wednesday's incident could evoke doubt about the power of the country to scale his navy. Kim said that the damage would not only be tackled by technical repairs, but also on political accountability.
He ordered the torpedo hunter to be restored before the plenary session of the rulers of the ruling employees and called the case one of the national honor.
Kcna reported on Friday that the damage to the warship was less than the first estimate of Noord -Korea and said there were no gaps in the hull, although it had been scratched on the starboard side. It also said: “A certain amount of seawater flowed into the strict part.”
Repairs can take approximately 10 days, according to the report.
Given the potential degree of damage, however, analysts said that it would be almost impossible to meet Kim's Deadline for repairs at the end of June.
The ship “will not soon enter the Navy (KPN) service of Korean people and can ultimately turn out to be a complete loss”, wrote experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in their Beyond parallel -blog next to satellite photos of the Sparkling ship.
Retired South Korean Adm. Kim Duk-Ki told CNN that North Korea is missing the necessary infrastructure-a dry dock-leek to launch a torpedo hunter of 5000 tons, let alone repair and repair.
A dry dock is a basin facility that can be filled with water to float or tap away a ship to build or repair one.
Satellite image shows the second-newest destroyer of North Korea in Chongjin Shipyard, North Korea, on 12 May 2025, just a few days before it was damaged in a 'serious accident' during a launch ceremony. – Airbus
“Dry dock is an expensive facility, and Noord -Korea probably has no … It is easy to repair a ship in a dry dock after draining water, but they do not have the facility,” said retired admiral, adding that restoration could last four to five months.
The South Korean legislator and defense analyst Yu Yong-Wee said that hurrying the ship's launch probably led to the problems that came across on Wednesday and warned hasty repairs could cause more problems.
Schuster said that, if possible, repairs have more chance of lasting months instead of weeks.
A research group for accidents was established and senior officials can be confronted with censorship during the upcoming meeting of the Central Committee of the party, an account from KCNA reported.
The navy of Noord -Korea is often seen as the least developed branch of his army. The hurried pace of the development of the destroyer has surprised some external observers, as a result of which questions are asked about how much of the technology is functional versus symbolic.
Mercogliano, the American professor, said it is unclear whether the new warships of Pyongyang even have engines because state media have not given any images of them.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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