North Korea is playing down the severity of damage to a naval destroyer after a failed test this week, and promising to bring those at fault to justice. Contrary to satellite photos indicating serious damage, Pyongyang maintains the vessel was only slightly injured and would be repaired within ten days, a claim that has been greeted with suspicion by outside experts and observers.
North Korea’s official news agency KCNA Friday characterized damage to the 5,000-ton-class destroyer as ‘not serious’, backtracking on earlier reports of holes at the bottom of the ship. It instead asserts that the hull on the starboard side only was scratched and that seawater invaded the stern. The agency put the time frame at 10 days to expel the water, balance the ship, and repair the scratches.
But satellite imagery paints a different picture. The ship is seen as being leaned to one side, partially underwater, and shrouded in blue tarps. Experts question the regime’s repair assessment. “The warship probably underwent more extensive damage, such as a flooded engine room and hull penetration,” Korea Defense Network’s Lee Illwoo commented. He continued that although North Korea may have the ship repainted and claim it is fixed, actual restoration may take over a year with the need for engine replacement.
What Caused the Mishap?
North Korean officials report the damage happened when a transport cradle on the stern broke loose too early at the launch ceremony in the northeastern port of Chongjin.
Experts blame the failure on lack of experience. “The failure was due to inexperience,” said Moon Keun-sik, a navy expert at Seoul’s Hanyang University. “The 5,000-ton ship is almost three times as heavy as North Korea’s current warships, so it was a huge challenge. The reports state that the North Koreans used a sideways launch technique, rare for warships and usually reserved for big cargo ships. Using such a method in combination with the massive onboard weaponry could have destabilized the ship. It appears North Korean laborers didn’t consider the weight distribution of the ship,” said analyst Lee.
How Kim Jong Un’s Reacted?
The botched launch follows only weeks after the regime marked the launch of its first destroyer, described as North Korea’s most sophisticated naval vessel. Kim Jong Un had celebrated that as “a breakthrough” in building up national defense.
The abortive second launch, thus, is a huge embarrassment. Still, by making a public confession of the mishap, Kim seems bent on upholding discipline and highlighting his intent for military modernization. He ordered a complete probe and imposed a timeline for fixes prior to a senior Workers’ Party session in late June.
In response, the Central Military Commission has called Hong Kil Ho, the manager of the Chongjin shipyard, in its investigation. “Regardless of how good the condition of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unforgivable criminal act is fixed and those who have committed it can never escape from being responsible for the crime,” the commission was quoted by state media as saying.
Possible Fallout for Science and Military
There are warnings from some experts that the spillover could be greater than the shipyard. Professor Kim Dong-yub at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies says the regime can seize on this event to further consolidate party control over its scientific and technological industries.
Lee Choon Geun, who is an honorary fellow with South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, seconded those fears. “If scientists are strictly held accountable, I would say the future of North Korean defense science does not look very bright because it would be evidence that political responsibility is being placed above technical accountability,” he wrote on Facebook.
