Kim Jong Un's anger watches North Korea's new naval destroyer paralyzed in outbreak
State media reported that North Korea's latest warship was severely damaged at the awards ceremony Wednesday, and leader Kim Jong Un witnessed the accident and said it brought shame to the reputation of the United States and vowed to punish those sentenced to the person in charge.
South Korea's official Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a rare failure that the failure of the launch mechanism caused the stern of the unnamed 5,000-ton destroyer to slide into the water prematurely, crushing parts of the hull and placing the bow and arrow on the ship.
Kim called the launch failure a “criminal act” and blamed it on “absolute carelessness” and “irresponsible” by several state agencies, including the Ammunition Industry Department, Kim Chuck University Technical University and the Central Bureau of Ship Design.
Satellite images show the ship lying on the side, the stern in the water, and the bow is still on land. State media did not immediately release images of the accident.
Naval analysts say the damage caused by such a ship that failed to launch can be “catastrophic”.
This satellite image shows that North Korea's second overnight destroyer at North Korea's Beibei Shipyard on May 18, 2025, just a few days before the “serious accident” at the launch ceremony – Maxar Technologies
“If the ship does not move together, the pressure will tear the hull apart,” Sal Mercogliano, a maritime expert at Campbell University in North Carolina, told CNN.
Hawaii's naval analyst Carl Schuster said after reviewing the KCNA account that he believes the pressure will “distort the hull, cause cracks, and may (may) catch the keel depending on where the maximum pressure drops.”
The launch failure marks a setback for analysts for decades to see it as North Korea’s most ambitious naval modernization efforts.
The ship will be the second major naval ground ship, which North Korea quickly revealed. In April, Kim unveiled the attitude of Choe Hyon, the country’s first newly built destroyer, in decades, and announced that he had ambitiously built more destroyers, various cruisers and frigates.
Choe Hyon has been described as a “new generation” warship and has expressed significant fanfare with state media, saying it will strengthen naval preparations amid rising threats called by Pyongyang as the United States and South Korea.
Western defense analysts pointed out that Choe Hyon runs contrary to the aging ships of the Soviet era that ruled the North Korean People's Navy. Although details remain scarce, satellite images and videos suggest that Choe Hyon can share design elements with similar Russian naval vessels.
Lee Sung-Joon, spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) said the damaged vessels on Wednesday were believed to be equipped like Choe Hyon.
Wednesday's incident could be doubtful about the country's ability to expand its naval force. Jin said that the losses were addressed not only through technical repairs, but also through political responsibility.
He ordered the destroyers to resume at the plenary meeting of the Workers' Party in late June, calling the matter one of the national honors.
KCNA reported Friday that damage to the warship was less than North Korea's initial estimates, saying there were no holes in the hull, even though the ship was scratched along the starboard side. It also said: “A certain amount of sea water flows into the stern part.”
The report says that repairs may take about 10 days.
However, given the potential damage level, analysts say it is almost impossible to meet Kim Jong Il's late June repair deadline.
The ship “will not enter the Korean People’s Navy (KPN) service anytime soon and may eventually prove to be totally lost,” experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in its Overcoming Parallel Blog, as well as satellite photos of struggling vessels.
Retired South Korean principal Kim Duk-Ki told CNN that North Korea appears to lack the necessary infrastructure — a dry dock that can launch 5,000-ton destroyers, not to mention recovery and repairs.
Dry dock is a basin facility that can be filled with water to float or drain for construction or repair.
Satellite images show that North Korea's second destroyer at the North Korean shipyard on May 12, 2025 was damaged just days before the “serious accident” in the launch ceremony. – airbus
“Dry docks are an expensive facility and North Korea may not have one… it’s easy to repair a boat in a dry dock after drainage, but they don’t have a facility,” the retired admiral said, adding that the restoration could take more than four to five months.
South Korean lawmaker and defense analyst Yu Yong-Weon said the rush to launch the ship could lead to problems encountered on Wednesday, warning that hasty repairs could lead to more problems.
Repairs are more likely to take months rather than weeks if possible, Schuster said.
According to KCNA, an accident investigation team has been formed and senior officials may face condemnation at the upcoming Central Committee meeting.
North Korea's navy is often seen as the least developed branch of its military. The accelerated development of destroyers surprised some outside observers, raising questions about the functionality and symbols of the technology.
American professor Mercogliano said it was not clear whether Pyongyang's new warships had engines, because state media did not provide images of them.
Additional information has been updated on this story.
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account on CNN.com
