New Destroyer Capsizes During Launch
38 North: "Impressive Progress"
North Korea's ability to upright a new 5,000-ton-class destroyer just 15 days after it toppled during the launching process has been analyzed as reaffirming Chairman Kim Jong Un's strong commitment to naval modernization.
On June 10 (local time), 38 North, a U.S.-based North Korea-focused media outlet, assessed the incident by stating, "This shows that North Korea can achieve impressive progress if it is prepared to invest priority, resources, and time."
The outlet noted, "Looking only at what happened in 2025, North Korea disclosed that it was building a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine, and a new destroyer was launched at the Nampo Shipyard."
Then, about a month later, on May 21, another destroyer of the same class capsized during its launch in Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province. However, defying expectations that it would take at least several weeks, North Korea managed to upright the vessel in just 15 days.
38 North described North Korea's achievement of launching two destroyers in just over a year as "an accomplishment that should not be underestimated."
The outlet pointed out that it typically takes South Korean shipyards two to three years to build a Korean-class destroyer (KDX), and even the construction speed of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in the United States is around five years, making North Korea's pace remarkable by comparison.
38 North projected that while the new North Korean destroyer appears unfinished and is likely not comparable in performance to South Korean or U.S. destroyers, North Korea's shipbuilding capabilities could improve rapidly as it accumulates experience and know-how.
In particular, the outlet noted that if North Korea receives technical support from Russia?which has grown closer due to North Korea's troop dispatch to the Ukraine war?it will become easier for North Korea to further develop these capabilities.
38 North stated that, just as North Korea acquired nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities after numerous failures, "this country tends to achieve, at least in some form, what it sets out to do, whether sooner or later."
The outlet warned, "The recent failure to launch a second destroyer in Chongjin should be interpreted as a step toward the North Korean navy becoming an even more formidable force in the near future."
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