North Korea's New Destroyer Gets Stuck During Launch While Kim Jong-un Watches

North Korea's New Naval Destroyer Suffers Catastrophic Launch Failure as Kim Jong-un Watches

Military Embarrassment Turns Display of Power Into "Unforgivable Crime" at Chongjin Shipyard

Destroyer Launch Goes Disastrously Wrong

On May 21, 2024, North Korea's carefully orchestrated display of naval military might transformed into a national embarrassment when the country's newly constructed 5,000-ton "Choe Hyon-class" destroyer suffered a catastrophic launch failure at the Chongjin Shipyard. The incident occurred directly in front of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, who had attended the ceremony to witness what was supposed to be a triumphant moment for North Korea's naval capabilities.

The destroyer, identified as the second ship of its class and likely named "Kim Chaek," experienced a failed side-launch that left the vessel stranded midway between the shipyard and the water. Due to inexperienced command and poor coordination among shipyard personnel, the ship's support sled beneath the stern detached prematurely during the launch process. This critical error caused the destroyer's stern to become grounded while simultaneously puncturing part of the hull, with the bow remaining stuck on the launch platform.

The timing and visibility of the failure could not have been worse for North Korea's leadership. Kim Jong-un, who witnessed the entire incident firsthand, immediately condemned the failure as a "catastrophic and intolerable incident caused by negligence and irresponsibility" and characterized it as "a criminal act born of anti-scientific empiricism." The Supreme Leader has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the launch failure and announced that the incident will be formally reviewed at the Workers' Party plenary meeting scheduled for June 2024.

Kim emphasized that repairing the damaged destroyer is not merely a technical challenge but a matter of political prestige for the regime, declaring that the vessel must be restored "unconditionally before the Party meeting." This directive underscores the significant political implications of the naval disaster for North Korea's military development program and international image.

Key Takeaways: Critical Insights from the Naval Disaster

The destroyer launch failure reveals several critical weaknesses in North Korea's naval construction capabilities and strategic planning. The Chongjin Shipyard lacks the necessary facilities for safer launch methods, such as the stern-first "gravity launch" technique that was successfully used for the first ship of the class at the Nampo shipyard. Instead, shipyard personnel attempted a riskier "side-slide" launch method that requires significantly higher technical expertise and precision—capabilities that North Korea's shipbuilding industry currently lacks.

The incident represents a classic case of attempting the wrong method at the wrong location with inadequate technical skills. Military analysts emphasize that the failure stems from North Korea's decision to prioritize rapid construction over proper infrastructure development and technical training. The choice to build the destroyer at Chongjin was reportedly driven by Kim Jong-un's ambitious plan to construct multiple naval vessels simultaneously, despite the shipyard being fundamentally unsuited for such large-scale destroyer construction.

Expert assessments suggest that if the destroyer's keel has been bent or broken during the failed launch, the vessel may already be beyond economical repair, representing a significant loss of resources and prestige for the North Korean regime. The incident also highlights the regime's transparency in reporting the failure, which represents unusual openness compared to typical North Korean information control practices.

The failure has broader implications for North Korea's naval modernization program and raises questions about the regime's ability to successfully transition from constructing smaller patrol vessels to complex destroyers without adequate intermediate development stages.

Deep Analysis: Design Flaws and Strategic Implications

The Choe Hyon-class destroyer launch failure exposes fundamental problems with North Korea's naval design philosophy and construction capabilities that extend far beyond the immediate launch incident. Military experts and naval analysts have identified numerous structural and design flaws that suggest the destroyer project represents more of a political propaganda tool than a functional warship.

The most significant design flaw involves the destroyer's overambitious armament configuration. Despite having a displacement of only 5,000 tons, the vessel incorporates an extraordinary 74 vertical launch cells (VLS) for missiles—a number that exceeds even China's more advanced 7,500-ton Type 052D destroyers and France's Horizon-class vessels. This represents a classic case of "small horse pulling a heavy cart," where the ship's size cannot adequately support its intended weapons load.

The overpacked weaponry configuration leaves insufficient internal space for essential systems including crew quarters, electromagnetic compatibility equipment, and navigational stability systems. Some of the VLS tubes are reportedly less than 2 meters deep, which is inadequate for properly accommodating the missiles they're designed to launch, as most modern naval missiles require at least 2.5 meters of depth for safe deployment.

Aerial reconnaissance images reveal another concerning flaw: the destroyer's smokestack appears completely hollow, lacking visible air intakes or exhaust systems. This observation suggests that the vessel may only possess auxiliary power systems, if any functional propulsion at all, potentially indicating that the destroyer is largely a hollow shell designed for appearance rather than operational capability.

The rapid progression from constructing 1,000-1,500 ton patrol vessels directly to a complex 5,000-ton destroyer represents an unprecedented leap in naval construction that skips typical intermediate development stages. Most successful naval powers develop their capabilities gradually, moving through frigate and corvette classes before attempting destroyers. North Korea's approach mirrors some historical failures by other nations, including Russia's PD-50 floating dock disaster, though even countries like India and Iran have demonstrated more stable naval development trajectories.

Military strategists suggest that the Choe Hyon-class project reflects Kim Jong-un's desire for impressive "showpiece" vessels designed to impress foreign observers and domestic audiences rather than contribute meaningful combat capability to North Korea's navy. The decision to construct multiple destroyers simultaneously at inappropriate facilities demonstrates prioritization of political objectives over practical naval requirements.

Did You Know: Fascinating Facts About Naval Construction and North Korean Military Development

Naval destroyer construction typically requires decades of accumulated expertise and specialized infrastructure that cannot be rapidly developed or improvised. The world's most successful naval powers, including the United States, China, and European nations, spent generations developing the technical knowledge, shipyard facilities, and supply chains necessary for effective destroyer construction. Most naval experts agree that "the navy takes a century to build," emphasizing that successful naval development requires patient, systematic progression through increasingly complex vessel types.

North Korea's naval construction industry has historically focused on smaller vessels, including submarines, patrol boats, and coastal defense craft, with limited experience in large surface combatants. The jump from small patrol vessels to 5,000-ton destroyers represents one of the most ambitious leaps in naval construction attempted by any nation in recent decades.

The side-launch method attempted at Chongjin Shipyard is considered one of the most technically challenging ship launching techniques, requiring precise coordination of multiple systems and extensive experience with large vessel handling. Most modern shipyards prefer stern-first launches or dry dock construction methods that provide greater control and safety margins during the critical launch phase.

Interestingly, North Korea's decision to publicly report the launch failure and Kim Jong-un's harsh criticism represents unusual transparency for the typically secretive regime. Most authoritarian governments attempt to conceal military failures or present them as successes, making North Korea's acknowledgment of the destroyer incident remarkable in the context of the country's information control practices.

The 74 vertical launch cells incorporated into the Choe Hyon-class destroyer would theoretically provide more missile capacity than many Western destroyers, but the shallow depth of many tubes and questionable structural integrity raise serious questions about actual operational capability. Modern naval warfare requires sophisticated radar, electronic warfare systems, and command and control capabilities that may be absent from North Korea's destroyer design.

Military historians note that the destroyer launch failure joins a long list of ambitious military projects by authoritarian regimes that prioritized impressive appearances over practical functionality, including several historical examples from the Soviet Union, Iraq, and other nations that attempted to rapidly develop advanced military capabilities without adequate technical foundations.