‘Criminal act’: Three detained over North Korea warship fail

TShipyard workers have been detained over the disastrous launch of a 5,000-ton warship that left dictator Kim Jong-un furious.

Three people have been detailed after the launch of North Korea’s new 5,000-ton navy destroyer ended in disaster.

Kim Jong-un labelling the error a “criminal act” which would “not be tolerated”.

The warship was set to be launched in the eastern port city of Chongjin on Wednesday but the ceremony soon turned into an embarrassment when the stern slid prematurely into the water, leaving “some sections of the warship’s bottom crushed”, according to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Those detained are all shipyard officials, according to KCNA. That includes the chief engineer of the northern Chongjin shipyard where the destroyer was built, as well as the construction head and an administrative manager.

The three were deemed “responsible for the accident”.

This satellite image shows a new North Korean warship that appears to be capsized. Picture: Handout /2025 Planet Labs PBC/AFP

The agency said Mr Kim was in attendance when the “serious accident occurred”.

It blamed “inexperienced command and operational carelessness” for the mishap, which managed to “destroy the balance of the warship”.

Mr Kim condemned the accident as a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility … and could not be tolerated,” adding the incident “lowered the dignity and self-respect” of the country.

He warned that it “could not be tolerated” and that the “irresponsible errors” of the officials responsible would be dealt with at a Workers’ Party meeting next month.

The leader ordered for the ship to be restored before the meeting, noting the matter was a “political issue directly related to the prestige of the state”.

Kim Jong-un called the failure a “criminal act”. Picture: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP

Hong Kil Ho, the manager of the shipyard in the eastern port city of Chongjin where the accident took place, was summoned by law enforcement on Thursday.

South Korea’s military said US and Seoul intelligence authorities assessed that North Korea’s “side-launch attempt” of the ship failed.

“The side-launch method used in this case is no longer employed by South Korea’s military,” Lee Sung-jun, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.

Satellite images, released by Maxar Technologies, show the ship lying sideways, with the stern in water and the bow on land.

KCNA later reported on Friday an investigation into an accident had been launched, claiming the extent of the damage was “not serious”.

“(An) underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship’s bottom,” it said.

“The hull starboard was scratched and a certain amount of seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel.”

Experts estimated it would take “two or three days to keep the balance of the warship by pumping up the seawater from the flooded chamber” and around 10 days to restore the destroyer’s side, KCNA reported.

A satellite image taken on May 18, 2025 showing the new North Korean warship at the harbour ahead of its launch. Picture: Maxar Technologies/AFP

An image taken on May 23, 2025 showing the new North Korean naval destroyer. Picture: Maxar Technologies/AFP

North Korea launches 5,000-ton destroyer

The failed launch comes a month after Mr Kim attended a ceremony for a similar 5,000-ton destroyer-class vessel in April, the Choe Hyon.

North Korea claimed the vessel was equipped with the “most powerful weapons”, and that it would “enter into operation early next year”.

Seoul’s military have claimed the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian help, possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine.

Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, said the warship involved in Wednesday’s accident may have also been constructed with Russian assistance.

He noted Chongjin, the North Korean city where the launch ceremony was held, is close to Russia’s Vladivostok port.

“It’s also likely that the projected timeline for the vessel – including when assembly would be completed and the ship launched – was shared with the Russian side,” he told AFP.

“It appears the dock was hastily constructed, and multiple issues may have arisen during the shipbuilding process.

Kim Jong-un laying flowers at the memorial plaque of anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter Choe Hyon during the launch ceremony of a newly-built destroyer in April. Picture: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP

North Korea confirmed in April for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow in the Ukraine war.

Moscow and Pyongyang also recently announced they had started building the first road bridge linking the two countries.

Strengthening the navy

In March, Mr 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.

Mr 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 in the region to deter the North, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine.

Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion.

– With AFP