[By GuanchaNet Columnist Chang Luowen]
On May 22nd, North Korean state media released a重磅news: A major accident occurred during the launching ceremony of the second ship of the new Choe Hyun-class destroyer; due to improper command, the vessel was damaged. Kim Jong-un, who witnessed the entire process at the scene, demanded that the ship be repaired before the 6th Plenary Session of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee in June.
This unprecedented safety accident has attracted widespread attention worldwide. The swift response from North Korean state media has also drawn attention from all sides.
Satellite photo published by CNN
CG diagram created by Chinese online media
The explosive growth of military strength makes it difficult to avoid accidents
Since Kim Jong-un came to power, although there have been minor adjustments, he has always regarded the independent development of weapons and equipment and improving the quality of life for citizens as two core tasks. Moreover, his attitude towards problems arising in military industry and high-precision equipment research seems to become increasingly tolerant.
Similarly in May, with the party congress approaching, on May 2023, the failure of North Korea's reconnaissance satellite "Wanlimirror-1" launch was severely criticized by Kim Jong-un, who described the failure as the "most serious mistake," removing the party positions of Zhang Changhe, then president of the Defense Science Academy, and Kim Jongshik, then deputy minister.
However, by May 2024, after the failure of the "Wanlimirror 1-1" launch, Kim Jong-un still attended the 60th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Defense Science Academy the day after the failure and only described the satellite as a "key device" during his speech without punishing Zhang Changhe and other defense scientists. By the end of 2024, when the Wanlimirror was successfully launched, Zhang Changhe later shifted his focus to the important development of new "killer锏" - missiles and drones, and did not suffer any negative impact.
Moreover, building a 5,000-ton frigate is already somewhat like pushing a reluctant duck up the ramp for North Korea. Russia has been a strong naval power since the Soviet era, but since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it has only had three 5,000-ton frigates launched. Such large ships require a lot of supporting talent and corresponding experience accumulation. Fundamentally, this accident is due to the thin national strength, and accidents are unavoidable.
After the pandemic, it seems that North Korea's weapon development has unlocked its potential, not only increasing the speed of research and development, but also greatly surpassing the scope of homeland defense in terms of combat concepts and weapon development ideas.
For example, its imitated "New Star 4" and "New Star 9" large drones were showcased and flown during the parade, and several new types of suicide drones "renewed" often became the focus of Kim Jong-un's inspection activities. Of course, this is thanks to North Korea's relatively complete industrial system, but also离不开Russia's "reciprocal courtesies" and barter trade. Especially around the time when North Korea officially joined the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia sent high-level military delegations to Pyongyang multiple times.
On April 26th, Kim Jong-un attended the celebration ceremony for the launching of the Choe Hyun-class destroyer
This does not mean that this accident can be downplayed or treated as a happy occasion. Firstly, building such a large tonnage surface ship inevitably squeezes resources for the development of other branches of the military, and now such a serious problem has arisen, which may affect North Korea's plan to build a powerful navy. Secondly, Kim Jong-un set the deadline before the party congress, which means the ship must be repaired within a month. "Repairing the destroyer quickly is a direct political issue concerning national authority, not just a technical one." Therefore, how this arduous task will be completed may affect the personal fate of senior officials in the navy and industrial departments.
The latest news is that Hong Jihao, the factory manager of Chongjin Shipyard, was summoned to the judicial authorities on the 22nd. According to the instructions issued by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea to the investigation team, the investigation team needs to find out the cause of the accident. This accident is an intolerable criminal act, and those responsible cannot escape punishment. This instruction leaves much room for suspense in the investigation of this accident.
Preventing arms race under the pretext of North Korea
North Korea's construction of the Choe Hyun-class multi-purpose destroyer aims to create a "collection of national economic strength and a comprehensive body of self-defense defense technology." "The new warship is essential for cultivating combat capabilities to firmly maintain our country's maritime sovereignty and will be an important starting point on the way to becoming an advanced oceanic power," but it does not clearly specify the operational mission of this warship. Moreover, this military expansion trend is both a response to threats from the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, and also a new excuse for the U.S. to reach out, Japan to loosen restrictions, and South Korea to upgrade.
In February 2025, South Korea formed a mobile fleet centered around the Navy's 7th Mobile Task Force, comprising three mobile battalions, one mobile supply battalion, and one base battalion. The mobile fleet is equipped with 14 ships, including South Korea's only current active Zhengzu Emperor-class "Aegis" destroyer, three Sejong the Great-class "Aegis" destroyers, six Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class missile destroyers, and four supply ships.
The South Korean military stated that over the next ten years, the number of large combat ships in the mobile fleet will increase to 18, meaning each combat squadron will be equipped with six large ships, including one Zhengzu Emperor-class and one Sejong the Great-class "Aegis" destroyer, two Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class missile destroyers, and two new-generation missile destroyers (code KDDX). In addition, large surface ships such as the amphibious assault ship "Marado Island," newly purchased P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft, and newly commissioned supply ships may join the fleet.
In the current economic situation, building a fleet belonging to the last era according to plans from the last era has sparked significant opposition voices domestically. However, this plan ultimately succeeded due to the direct influence of America's strategy on the Korean Peninsula. Militarily, the United States encourages allies to defend themselves independently. The South Korean Navy is the strongest force that can lead the charge in the Indo-Pacific conflict front, effectively making up for the political shortcomings of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force.
And the latest statement from the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea is that U.S. forces in Korea should not just consider defending against North Korea; South Korea should be America's largest aircraft carrier in Asia. This insidious logic of using South Korea as a vanguard in America's Asian strategy is taking a new step forward. The newly elected president of South Korea, who will be inaugurated on June 3rd, will also inevitably face high pressure from Americans and be forced to pledge allegiance to the United States.
As for North Korea, rapid advancements in science and technology and the fast progress in military technology cannot compensate for its inherent weakness of being small and weak. Under the current delicate and fragile balance, North Korea still feels a certain sense of security and has not yet fully mobilized its capabilities to increase the odds of winning a war. If regional tensions continue to escalate, it's hard to say whether North Korea might use its imagination to combine its proud nuclear weapons with existing ships, missiles, and even drones to develop new war machines and conflict forms. The peninsula is destined to have peace under the gun, but the current situation of everyone having their guns ready is not a blessing for peace.
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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507509952760660520/
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