North Korea’s newest warship was severely damaged during a launch ceremony Wednesday, with leader Kim Jong Un, who witnessed the accident, saying it brought shame to the nation’s prestige and vowing to punish those found responsible, state media reported.
This satellite image taken on May 22, 2025, shows the aftermath of North Korea's second newest destroyer which appeared to be capsized in a 'serious accident' during a launching ceremony in Chongjin shipyard.
In a rare admission of failure, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said a malfunction in the launch mechanism caused the stern of the as-yet unnamed 5,000-ton destroyer to slide prematurely into the water, crushing parts of the hull and leaving the bow stranded on the shipway.
Kim called the launch failure “a criminal act” and blamed it on “absolute carelessness” and “irresponsibility” by multiple state institutions - including the Munitions Industry Department, Kim Chaek University of Technology and the central ship design bureau.
According to a South Korean military analysis, the vessel is lying on its side in the water, Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Lee Sung-joon said during a press briefing on Thursday.
Naval analysts said the damage incurred by a vessel in such a launch malfunction could be “catastrophic.” State media did not immediately release images of the accident.
“If the ship does not move together, the stresses 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 reviewing the KCNA account, said he thinks the stresses would “warp the hull, induce cracks and (possibly) snap the keel depending on where the greatest stress falls.”
This satellite image shows North Korea's second newest destroyer in Chongjin shipyard, North Korea, on May 18, 2025, just days before it was damaged due to "serious accident” during a launching ceremony
The launch failure marks a setback for what analysts have viewed as North Korea’s most ambitious naval modernization effort in decades.
The ship was to be the second major navy surface vessel revealed in quick succession by North Korea. In April, Kim unveiled the Choe Hyon, the country’s first newly constructed destroyer in decades, and declared his ambition of building more destroyers and various cruisers and frigates.
The Choe Hyon, described as a “new generation” warship, was presented with significant fanfare with state media saying it would strengthen naval readiness amid what Pyongyang calls rising threats from the United States and South Korea.
Western defense analysts noted that the Choe Hyon marked a departure from the aging Soviet-era vessels that dominated the Korean People’s Navy. While details remain scarce, satellite imagery and footage suggested the Choe Hyon could share design elements with similar Russian navy ships.
Lee, the South Korean military spokesperson, said the vessel damaged on Wednesday was thought to be equipped like the Choe Hyon.
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