North Korea detains officials over failed warship launch Kim Jong Un calls an ‘unpardonable crime’

North Korea detains officials over failed warship launch

North Korea has detained three senior shipyard officials following the failed launch of a major warship — a public embarrassment that enraged leader Kim Jong Un and was swiftly labelled by state media as an “unpardonable criminal act.” The vessel, meant to be a symbol of Pyongyang’s growing naval ambitions, was unveiled in a high-profile ceremony last week attended by Kim himself. Instead, the event turned into a fiasco, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class destroyer malfunctioned during its launch at the Chongjin shipyard, a key maritime facility in North Korea’s northeast. According to satellite imagery and state media reports, only part of the ship successfully entered the water. The rest remains stuck on the quay, partially submerged under blue tarps — a visible symbol of what Kim has described as “absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism.”

Crackdown at the shipyard

Following the incident, prosecutors and naval experts conducted a detailed inspection of the vessel, both above and below water. Within days, three high-ranking individuals — the shipyard’s chief engineer, a deputy manager for administrative affairs, and the head of the hull-construction workshop — were detained and identified as those “responsible for the accident,” according to a state media report released Sunday.

Although North Korea claimed the damage could be repaired in roughly two weeks, naval analysts outside the country remain sceptical. They say the timeline is overly optimistic given the complexity of the failure and the state of the vessel.

The incident is being treated with uncommon severity. North Korean authorities have referred to it not merely as a mishap but as a criminal act, suggesting that harsh punishment could follow. In a strongly worded editorial on Friday, state media declared that those responsible “can never evade their responsibility for the crime.”

Pattern of purges

Kim Jong Un, who has ruled the country since 2011, has a history of responding to failures — perceived or actual — with purges, detentions, and executions. Among the most infamous was the 2013 execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, once considered the regime’s second most powerful figure.

Human rights groups and defectors say the three detained shipyard officials are unlikely to receive a fair trial. North Korea’s opaque judicial system offers no formal defence process or right to appeal, and punishments often include imprisonment in labour camps or execution, especially for cases framed as political or ideological failings.

Strategic embarrassment

The failed launch is not just a technical failure but a strategic setback for Kim. North Korea has been aggressively modernizing its military, with a particular focus on naval capabilities amid rising regional tensions. The Choe Hyon-class destroyer was expected to serve as a key symbol of that modernization effort, particularly as Pyongyang touts its ambitions to counter perceived threats from South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

Kim’s personal attendance at the ship’s unveiling underscores the political weight placed on the vessel. That the launch failed in his presence adds to the embarrassment — and likely intensified the severity of the response.

State media has not said what charges the three officials may face, nor has it outlined their fate. But the tone of official reports suggests that the regime is making an example of them, signalling that even minor failures in critical military programs will not be tolerated.

As North Korea continues to channel limited resources into weapons development despite a struggling economy and international sanctions, the failed launch — and its fallout — reflect the intense pressure inside the regime to maintain an image of strength and precision.