North Korea has detained three senior shipyard officials following a botched launch of a new 5,000-ton destroyer, which saw the vessel partially crushed and tipped off balance during a ceremony earlier this week.
According to state media outlet KCNA, the chief engineer, construction head, and an administrative manager at the Chongjin shipyard—where the warship was built—have been arrested. The regime’s leader, Kim Jong Un, condemned the incident as a “criminal act” and attributed it to “absolute carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism.”
Kim also warned that those responsible will face consequences at an upcoming plenary meeting in June, raising concerns about potential harsh punishments in a country known for its repressive justice system and severe human rights abuses. Satellite imagery reportedly shows the destroyer lying on its side under tarpaulins, with part of the hull stranded on land. Despite initial fears of major structural failure, KCNA downplayed the extent of the damage, stating that “no holes” were found in the ship’s bottom, though seawater had entered the stern and the starboard hull was scratched.
The failed launch comes just weeks after Kim unveiled the Choe Hyon, another 5,000-ton destroyer hailed as a major step in modernizing the country’s navy. The regime had planned to deploy the vessel by early next year. The public disclosure of such an accident is rare for Pyongyang, further underscoring the severity with which the regime treats the failure.
