What do you say a few nuclear energy that can’t construct a ship that floats? And, not solely that, launches it whereas its tinpot Pricey Chief watches on?
All I’ve to say is, I really feel sorry for the individuals behind the 5,000-ton destroyer — no title given — that was launched Wednesday from the shipyard at Chongjin, North Korea, in accordance with the South China Morning Post.
It’s dangerous sufficient that Korea Central News Agency — the happy-clappy propaganda mill of the North Korean authorities, which normally hides dangerous information from the general public and screams how fantastic Pyongyang is doing with all the pieces, and demise to America, by the best way — was pressured to acknowledge an investigation into the incident on Friday.
In accordance with Reuters, the incident occurred as Kim Jong-un was watching; the ship apparently misplaced steadiness through the launch and appears to have hit the underside, provided that sections of the underside of the ship have been crushed.
Whereas KCNA described the harm as “not critical,” it additionally known as what occurred “an unpardonable felony act.”
South Korean media, in the meantime, mentioned that the ship was mendacity on its aspect within the water in Chongjin as of Thursday, and pictures have a tendency to substantiate this — though North Korean officers appear to consider they may cowl this up with blue tarps.
Not a lot, nonetheless:
North Korea’s newest naval destroyer has been considerably broken previous to its launch. In a uncommon acknowledgment, North Korea’s state information company KCNA reported yesterday an incident occurred with a brand new destroyer in Chongjin, which was near being launched. pic.twitter.com/0PfuqehYnF
— Open Supply Centre (@osc_london) May 22, 2025
As Reuters identified, the failed launch “seemingly occurred in entrance of a big crowd, rising the general public humiliation for Kim” — which is why KCNA was reporting on it.
As somebody who has adopted KCNA dispatches on-and-off for years now, let me say that they’re virtually uniformly Borat-like of their comical, archetypal banana-republic state media makes an attempt to cowl up the overall distress of the place. They’ll gush about how the nation now has three shades of lipstick from its resplendent state-of-the-art cosmetics manufacturing unit right alongside threats to annihilate america and the West, the place the residents dwell in rat-infested struggling.
So, to see these sorts of admissions from KCNA in its personal copy is to underscore simply how Brobdingnagian of a boo-boo this was:
Detailed underwater and inside inspection of the warship confirmed that, not like the preliminary announcement, no holes have been made on the warship’s backside, the hull starboard was scratched and a certain quantity of seawater flowed into the strict part by means of the rescue channel.
Consultants estimated that it’s going to take two or three days to revive the steadiness of the warship by pumping out the seawater from the flooded chamber and making the bow depart the slipway and 10-odd days to revive the warship’s aspect…
Irrespective of how good the state of the warship is, the truth that the accident is an unpardonable felony act stays true, and people accountable for it could possibly by no means evade their duty for the crime.
Relating to this accident as a critical subject isn’t due to the harm to the warship or of financial loss. The goal of doing so is to deal a telling blow to incautiousness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricist angle prevailing in any subject and to sound an alarm bell.
Leaving apart the truth that they appear to have a contact of Inigo Montoya Syndrome relating to what the phrase “empiricist” actually means outdoors of partyspeak, that is principally North Korea admitting they’re incautious, irresponsible, and unscientific sufficient not to determine that their new 5,000-ton destroyer would sink upon launch.
They’re additionally an incautious, irresponsible, and unscientific state that has roughly 50 nuclear warheads — together with sufficient fissile materials to doubtlessly make 70 to 90 of them — together with the ballistic missiles to ship them, in accordance with a June 2024 Arms Management Affiliation brief.
In fact, the purpose of nuclear weapons as a element of a rustic’s protection arsenal within the post-World Conflict II period is the principle of mutually assured destruction; that’s to say, if you wish to destroy us as a nation, you your self will probably be destroyed as a nation.
Maybe that is left to raised strategic heads than our personal within the subject of army evaluation, however do you are feeling higher or worse {that a} bellicose nation that may’t inform whether or not a destroyer — a comparatively uncomplicated class of vessel, one which has been in dependable struggle service in a single kind or one other for the reason that early twentieth century — will sink or float has each 1) the warheads that might theoretically make its enemies’ cities glow for eons and a couple of) the ballistic missiles that must be theoretically able to deliver them there?
All I can say is that this: I’d hate to be a shipbuilder in Chongjin at any time in latest historical past, however I’d particularly detest that destiny proper now.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.
