A major setback has struck North Korea’s naval ambitions after its newest 5,000-ton destroyer suffered significant damage during a failed launch ceremony witnessed by leader Kim Jong Un. The stern of the warship prematurely slid into the water on Wednesday, crushing parts of the hull and leaving the bow stranded on the shipway, according to a rare admission by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Furious and visibly embarrassed, Kim condemned the incident as “a criminal act,” attributing the failure to “absolute carelessness” and “irresponsibility” among key state institutions. He specifically blamed the Munitions Industry Department, Kim Chaek University of Technology, and the central ship design bureau, vowing that those responsible would be held accountable for bringing shame to the nation.
According to South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Lee Sung-joon, military reconnaissance has confirmed that the vessel is now lying on its side in the water. Naval analysts have warned that such a launch malfunction could inflict catastrophic structural damage.
“If the ship does not move together, the stresses will tear the hull apart,” said Sal Mercogliano, a maritime expert and professor at Campbell University. Carl Schuster, a naval analyst based in Hawaii, echoed those concerns, suggesting the vessel may have suffered warping, cracking, or even a snapped keel depending on stress distribution during the failed launch.
The destroyer, part of North Korea’s most ambitious naval modernization project in decades, was intended to showcase the regime’s growing maritime capabilities. Instead, the failed launch has highlighted ongoing vulnerabilities in the country’s defense technology and industrial coordination.
KCNA has yet to release images of the incident, but the unusual public acknowledgment of failure underscores the severity of the setback.
Written By Rodney Mbua
