North Korea Boasts of Launching 'Flooded Ship'... Doubts Over Destroyer's Capabilities

North Korea Holds Launching Ceremony for 'Kang Gunho' Destroyer That Had Run Aground

Launched only 22 days after capsizing at Cheongjin Shipyard
Named after the first Chief of Staff of the People's Army
Kim Jong Un: "Will build two ships per year"
Outlook remains uncertain due to flooding

North Korea repaired the new 5,000-ton destroyer that ran aground after capsizing during the launching ceremony on the 21st of last month and held a launching ceremony. Korean Central News Agency reported on the 13th, "The Korean People's Army Navy destroyer launching ceremony took place on June 12 at the Rajin Shipyard." According to the order of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party, the class of this ship was confirmed as the 'Choe Hyun class,' which was launched in April, verifying it as a 5,000-ton destroyer, and the ship was named 'Kang Gunho.' Korean Central News Agency

North Korean Destroyer That Sank Is Launched Again

North Korea has relaunched its new multipurpose 5,000-ton destroyer, which had capsized and run aground during its launching ceremony last month, after completing repairs.

According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 13th, North Korea held a launching ceremony for the 5,000-ton destroyer at the Rajin Shipyard in North Hamgyong Province the previous day, with North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un in attendance. This comes just 22 days after the ship capsized and ran aground at Cheongjin Shipyard on May 21, and only about a week after North Korea announced that the vessel had been righted.

The agency reported that, by order of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party, the ship's class was designated as the 5,000-ton Choe Hyun class, and the vessel was named "Kang Gunho." Kang Gun was the first Chief of General Staff of the People's Army and was killed in action during the Korean War.

Chairman Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae (right) attending the destroyer launching ceremony with Chairman Kim. Photo by Korean Central News Agency

Kim Jong Un Attends Launch with Kim Ju Ae, Announces Destroyer Expansion

Regarding the previous launching accident, Chairman Kim stated, "It was an intolerable and serious criminal act that instantly damaged the dignity and pride of the nation." However, he also remarked, "In some ways, I think it may have been a necessary process. I believe we have gained a truly significant lesson from this incident."

He went on to say, regarding the launch of Kang Gunho, "Our vast shipbuilding plans aimed at building a world-class navy are being carried out with the utmost precision and speed. This demonstrates not only the strength of our will, but also that we possess the robust capabilities and advanced technical skills to put it into practice."

Chairman Kim also revealed plans to further expand destroyer capabilities. He stated, "We will deploy two destroyers of the Choe Hyun class or higher to operational waters every year," adding, "The Central Military Commission recently officially approved a plan to build two additional 5,000-ton destroyers next year." This signals North Korea's intention to rapidly modernize its naval power, which has lagged behind that of South Korea.

North Korea held a launching ceremony on the 12th at the Rajin Shipyard for a newly built naval destroyer named "Kang Gunho," according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 13th. Korean Central News Agency

The Kang Gunho, which North Korea launched on the 13th, shows uneven hull paint, possibly due to the effects of flooding (indicated by the red circle in the photo).

The launch ceremony of the new 5,000-ton class multipurpose destroyer "Choe Hyunho" was held on April 25 at the Nampo Shipyard, attended by North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 26th.

On the 13th, the Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korea named a newly built naval destroyer "Kang Gun Ho" and held a launching ceremony at the Rajin Shipyard on the 12th.

The "Choe Hyunho" destroyer, launched by North Korea in April this year, is equipped with a North Korean version of an anti-ship Spike missile (red circle in the top photo). However, the Kang Gunho does not appear to be equipped with this missile (red circle in the bottom photo). It seems the Kang Gunho's armament was not properly installed due to the impact of the grounding incident.

North Korea's Korean Central TV re-broadcast a video of the destroyer "Kang Gun Ho" launching ceremony aired on the 13th, reusing a photo of Chairman Kim Jong Un's on-site inspection of the shipbuilding project last March (above), but completely edited out former Navy Commander Kim Myung Sik (below), who was originally with Chairman Kim. It was confirmed that the Navy Commander was replaced by Park Kwang Seop (Vice Admiral), who was the East Sea Fleet Commander, instead of Kim Myung Sik. Yonhap News

North Korea's Korean Central TV rebroadcast a photo from Chairman Kim Jong Un's on-site inspection of the shipbuilding project in March this year (top), but completely edited out former Navy Commander Kim Myung Sik (red circle in the bottom photo), who was originally present with Chairman Kim.

Refloated, But Flooding Traces Remain... Performance in Doubt

Meanwhile, there are various interpretations regarding the Kang Gunho, which was launched at an unusually rapid pace?just three weeks after the accident. Some have commented, "The U.S. should let North Korea rebuild its navy," and "The construction speed rivals that of China."

North Korea named a newly built naval destroyer "Kang Gun Ho" at the Rason Shipyard on the 12th and held a launching ceremony, reported the Korean Central News Agency on the 13th.

Within military circles, there are concerns that, since Chairman Kim ordered the repairs to be completed before the Workers' Party plenary meeting scheduled for the end of this month and the process was rushed, the ship may not function as intended despite its appearance. A military official noted, "Even in South Korea, it typically takes two to three years to build a warship and about a year to complete all tests and finalize it for deployment. North Korea claims to have built this ship in less than a year and a half, and after suffering damage and flooding from the accident, it is questionable whether it can actually demonstrate combat capabilities."

Um Hyo Sik, Secretary General of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, commented, "Although Chairman Kim gave the order, the fact that the launching ceremony was held just three weeks later is evidence that North Korean shipyards are more capable than expected." However, he added, "Given that the interior suffered flooding and other damage, it is necessary to monitor the situation further, regardless of the ship's outward appearance."