On May 21st local time, Chongjin Shipyard in North Korea was supposed to have a glorious moment - the launching ceremony of North Korea's newly built 5,000-ton destroyer would be held, and Kim Jong Un, the highest leader of North Korea, personally attended the scene, showing the importance North Korea attached to this enhancement of naval power. However, things did not go as planned. A serious accident occurred during the launching process, instantly turning this ceremony into an embarrassing "car crash scene" and drawing widespread attention from the international community.
According to reports by KCNA, the direct cause of the accident was unskilled command and careless operation, resulting in the failure to ensure the parallelism of the chassis movement during the launching process. The stern part of the ship first broke free from the dock and grounded, followed by some sections of the hull bottom breaking through, causing seawater to flood in and leading to the imbalance of the ship's body. The bow part failed to detach from the slipway. From the on-site situation, it is speculated that this destroyer, which has poured the efforts of North Korea, suffered severe damage; deformation or damage to the hull bottom might only be the least serious damage, and there is even a possibility that the hull could break due to uneven stress.
After witnessing the entire accident process, Kim Jong Un, in rare anger, immediately characterized the incident as a serious "criminal act" that "damaged national dignity." He emphasized that the cause of the accident must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible must be severely punished. Units such as the Central Military Industry Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Dynamics Research Institute of the Korean State Academy of Sciences, Kim Chaek University of Technology, the Central Ship Design Institute, and Chongjin Shipyard were all involved in the investigation. Kim Jong Un also pointed out that this accident was caused by negligence, irresponsibility, and empiricism without respect for science. He emphasized that the timely repair of the destroyer was a political issue concerning national authority and demanded that the repair work be completed "unconditionally" before the plenary session of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee next month.
After the accident, external speculation ran rampant. Some analysts believed that North Korea's hasty effort to build two 5,000-ton destroyers in a short period put enormous pressure on the shipyards, leading to the occurrence of this accident. From a technical perspective, building and launching large destroyers is an extremely complex project requiring precise calculations and mature operational processes, with any minor error potentially causing serious consequences. North Korea's naval construction started relatively late and lacked experience in building large vessels. Attempting to construct and launch 5,000-ton destroyers without adequate preparation posed significant challenges.
From North Korea's own development strategy, in recent years, North Korea has continuously faced international sanctions. Under external pressure, North Korea sought to enhance its national security guarantee by boosting its military strength, particularly its naval power. Previously, North Korea successfully launched its first 5,000-ton new-class destroyer, the "Choe Hyon," on April 25th, injecting a strong boost into its naval construction and giving it hope for enhancing its naval power. This is why North Korea accelerated the construction and launching of the second destroyer.
The South Korean side linked this incident to Russia, hinting at the ineffectiveness of Russian technical assistance. South Korean military officials and some experts believed that the completion of the "Choe Hyon" destroyer might have received Russian technical support, and even speculated that North Korea might have obtained Russian technical help by sending troops to the Ukraine battlefield. It was likely that the destroyer involved in this accident was also completed with Russian assistance. However, there is currently no conclusive evidence for this claim. Some South Korean military media experts analyzed that the actual damage to the accident vessel might be much more severe than what North Korea officially announced - "no holes in the hull bottom, only scratches on the right side and water ingress in the stern." This includes flooding in the engine room at the stern and actual holes appearing on the right side. The immense structural stress caused by the vessel's capsizing is far from just simple scratches.
This accident undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to North Korea's naval construction plan. Not only did it damage North Korea's image internationally, but it also disrupted the pace of expansion of its naval power. North Korea's ambitious naval modernization plan, especially its goal of developing a blue-water navy, encountered significant short-term setbacks. The repair work of the damaged destroyer will pose a huge challenge in terms of both time cost and resource investment. If the repair takes too long, it will not only affect North Korea's naval deployment but may also place North Korea at a disadvantage in regional military balance.
However, North Korea's public acknowledgment of this accident also demonstrates its courage in facing problems. This might prompt North Korea to re-examine issues in its naval construction process, including comprehensive reflection and improvement in engineering management systems and technical operational procedures. After all, naval construction is a long-term and complex process that cannot be achieved overnight.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507811582865457699/
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