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SEOUL: North Korea’s second naval destroyer was damaged in a failed launch this week, state media reported Thursday, sparking fury from leader Kim Jong Un, who wants bigger warships to deal with what he calls escalating US-led threats against his country.
It’s not common for North Korea to acknowledge military-related setbacks, but observers say the disclosure of the failed ship launch suggests that Kim is serious about his naval advancement program and confident of ultimately achieving that objective.
During a launching event at the northeastern port of Chongjin on Wednesday, the newly built 5,000-tonne-class destroyer became unbalanced and was punctured in its bottom sections after a transport cradle on the stern section slid off first and became stuck, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
KCNA didn’t provide details on what caused the problem, the severity of the damage or whether anyone was injured.
According to KCNA, Kim, who was present at the ceremony, blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for a “serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism.” Kim called for a ruling Workers’ Party meeting slated for late June to address their “irresponsible errors.”
The destroyers are North Korea’s most advanced warships
“It’s a shameful thing. But the reason why North Korea disclosed the incident is it wants to show it’s speeding up the modernization of its navy forces and expresses its confidence that it can eventually build” a greater navy, said Moon Keun-sik, a navy expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University.
Moon suspected the incident likely happened because North Korean workers aren’t yet familiar with such a large warship and were rushed to put it in the water.
The damaged vessel was likely the same class as the country’s first destroyer unveiled last month, which experts assessed as North Korea’s largest and most advanced warship to date. Kim called the first vessel, named Choe Hyon – a famed Korean guerilla fighter during the Japanese colonial period – a significant asset for advancing his goal of expanding the military’s operational range and nuclear strike capabilities.
State media described that ship as designed to carry weapons systems including nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. Kim said the ship was expected to enter active duty early next year and later supervised test-firings of missiles from the warship.
Satellite photos show the partially submerged destroyer
Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the damaged vessel was likely equipped with similar systems and remains toppled over in the sea. An Associated Press analysis of Planet Labs PBC images taken Thursday showed the ship partially submerged on its side with tarpaulins draped over the wreckage.
Earlier commercial satellite images indicated that the country was building its second destroyer at a shipyard in Chongjin.
Beyond Parallel, a website run by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the satellite imagery of Chongjin’s Hambuk shipyard on May 12 showed that a second vessel in the Choe Hyon-class of guided missile destroyers was under construction.
A report by the North Korea-focused 38 North website assessed last week that the destroyer in Chongjin was being prepared to be launched sideways from the quay, a method that has been rarely used in North Korea. The report said the previous destroyer launched at the western shipyard of Nampo, in contrast, used a floating dry dock.
South Korean officials and experts say the Choe Hyon destroyer was likely built with Russian assistance as the two countries’ military partnerships are booming. While North Korea’s naval forces are considered far inferior to those of its rivals, analysts say the destroyer with nuclear-capable missiles and an advanced radar system would still enhance the North’s offensive and defensive capabilities.
Kim has framed the arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the United States and South Korea, which have been expanding joint military exercises in response to the North’s advancing nuclear program. He says the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be his next big step in strengthening the North Korean navy.
Hours after releasing the report on the damaged destroyer, North Korea test-fired multiple cruise missiles from an area about 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of Chongjin, according to South Korea’s military. The launches were a continuation of a streak of weapons-testing activities by North Korea in recent years. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were being analyzed by South Korean and US intelligence authorities.

MELBOURNE: Record floodwaters on Australia’s east coast left three people dead and one missing, officials said Thursday, as more heavy rain was forecast in the area.
More than 500 people were rescued in the flooding emergency in New South Wales state north of Sydney. The area has been hit with heavy rain since Tuesday. The flooding exceeds local records set in 1921 and 1929.
New South Wales Premier Christopher Minns said some areas were forecast to receive as much as 30 centimeters (1 foot) of rain in the next 24 hours. He said 50,000 people were warned to prepare to evacuate or be isolated by floodwaters, telling reporters: “We are bracing for more bad news.”
The body of a 63-year-old man was recovered from a flooded house in Moto in New South Wales on Wednesday afternoon, Fire and Rescue Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said. A coroner will determine whether a pre-existing medical condition played a part in his death, he added.
The body of a man, aged in his 30s, was recovered from floodwaters near Rosewood early Thursday, a police statement said. He had disappeared while attempting to drive through a flooded intersection on Wednesday night.
A 60-year-old woman was found dead on Thursday after her SUV became trapped in floodwaters near Brooklana on Wednesday night. The SUV was found earlier on Thursday, police said.
A 49-year-old man also failed to return home after walking near a flooded road at Nymboida on Wednesday night, police said.
Minns said more than 500 people had been rescued from floodwater in just over two days, many after trying to drive across flooded roads.
Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said 330 flood rescues were conducted in the past 24 hours. Helicopters have been used to rescue people stranded by floodwaters from rooftops and verandahs.
“We’ve seen more rain and more flooding in the mid-to-north coast area than we’ve ever seen before,” Dib said.
The flooding has hit communities including Taree, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbor and Bellingen in New South Wales.
Taree received a month’s rain in 24 hours, an official said.
“Up around the Taree area, we’ve seen communities that have never flooded in recorded history now flooding,” Fewtrell said.
The region has opened 14 evacuation centers as of Thursday.
Government meteorologist Angus Hines said a low-pressure weather system had stalled over the flooded region since Monday, bringing 60 centimeters (2 feet) of rain to some parts.
“If it had only been one day and then it had gone, we would have seen some minor or moderate flooding but it wouldn’t have been too bad. But four days in a row of this amount of rainfall and we see this significant and extensive, widespread and major flood event happening in front of our eyes,” Hines said.
The rain was losing intensity on Thursday, Hines said.