A major accident occurred during the launch of a 5,000-ton destroyer independently built by North Korea. Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, who personally attended the launch ceremony, warned of severe disciplinary action, calling it "a grave and criminal act that is absolutely unacceptable."
According to the Korean Central News Agency on May 22, an accident took place during the launch ceremony of the 5,000-ton destroyer at the Chongjin Shipyard in North Hamgyong Province the previous day. Kim Jong Un was also present at the ceremony.
The news agency reported, "Due to inexperienced command and carelessness during the launch process, the parallel movement of the bogies could not be ensured. As a result, the launch sled at the stern detached first, causing the ship to run aground and some sections of the hull bottom to be punctured, which destroyed the vessel's balance. A serious accident occurred in which the bow failed to detach from the slipway."
Kim Jong Un, who witnessed the accident firsthand at the launch site, delivered a stern assessment. The news agency stated that Kim said, "This is a serious and grave accident, a criminal act that is purely the result of carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism, and is something that should never happen and can never be tolerated."
Kim Jong Un also issued a strong warning, saying, "The irresponsible mistakes of the relevant units, including the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, the Institute of Mechanics of the State Academy of Sciences, Kim Chaek University of Technology, the Central Ship Design Institute, and the relevant officials at the Chongjin Shipyard, who are responsible for this accident that instantly damaged the dignity and pride of our nation, will inevitably be addressed at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee to be convened in June."
Kim Jong Un ordered the restoration of the destroyer before the June plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee. He emphasized, "Restoring the destroyer to its original state as quickly as possible is not merely a practical issue but a political matter directly related to the authority of the state, and therefore it must be completed unconditionally before the June plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee."
Regarding the incident, an official from the Ministry of Unification told reporters, "Since North Korea has not released related videos or photos, it is difficult to accurately assess the situation." However, the official added, "Given that Kim Jong Un ordered restoration before the June plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee, it is presumed that the damage is not at the level of rendering the vessel completely inoperable."
As for the unusual disclosure by North Korea of this failed launch ceremony, the official said, "Just last month, North Korea succeeded in launching a destroyer of a similar size, and this process itself is not considered to involve difficult advanced technology. In today's (North Korean) report, the incident was also described as 'pure carelessness.' It is expected that North Korea intends to reinforce internal discipline through severe disciplinary action in response to such failures."
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