North Korea's new destroyers - top and flop

Pyongyang describes the "Choe Hyon" as a destroyer, although with a displacement of 5,000 tonnes and moderate armament it could be classified more as a multi-purpose frigate. The recognisable vertical launch silo with 32 small, 12 medium and 20 large bays suggests a wide-ranging FK armament including cruise missiles, although the additional 10 even larger silo hatches may also extend the range of weapons to include ballistic missiles. And then the destroyer could work again. Kim Jong Un, the "Supreme Leader" of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, did not miss the opportunity to present the first nationally developed and built guided missile destroyer to the public himself at the naming ceremony at the Nampho shipyard outside Pyongyang at the end of April.

First strike - Top

Now, however, the driver trials and the proof of function of the weapon systems must show what is in the hull - and whether it remains a "one-off" or is to be regarded as the type ship of a series. It would also be interesting to find out which Russian design offices may have provided assistance with the programme. There is plenty of contradictory information. Experts even express doubts that a propulsion system was installed at all, as there is no evidence of this. On the other hand, North Korea reports that an artillery and missile test firing was carried out in the presence of Kim Jong Un just a few weeks after the launch. As few things can be verified in this country because hardly anything reaches the public, caution should be exercised with this information.

Second strike - flop

This information policy is underlined by the rather unexpected launch of a sister ship on 22 May in Chongjin in the north-east of North Korea. What was supposed to be a spectacular duplicate for the North Korean navy, which had previously been rather neglected financially - the launching and christening of the second 5,000-tonne destroyer - literally fell through under the eyes of the great leader Kim Jong Un. For him, this was a maximum embarrassment and a serious setback in his highly ambitious naval armaments programme.

North Korean destroyer "Choe Hyon". Photo: State media

There are no adequate slipways available along the east coast for launches of this size. However, there is the side slip method, which works well for merchant ships with a fairly uniform mass distribution along the longitudinal axis, as numerous videos from Dutch shipyards show. For a warship, however, the situation is somewhat different due to the uneven mass distribution: Fincantieri Marinette has had good experience with this for the small Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships. North Korea, however, has not yet - especially not on this scale.

In any case, the biggest unanticipated incident happened during the state ceremony: the stern tipped off the edge of the pier prematurely, but not the bow - which remained firmly anchored on the transverse slip. Halfway into the water, the ship remained lying on its side. The structural damage is likely to be considerable, and a "broken keel" due to the twisting of the hull cannot be ruled out. What could be hidden from view from the side (people present) and from above (satellites) was quickly covered with blue tarpaulins like a shroud. Apart from satellite photos, no other visual material is available. It is also not possible to find out the name intended for construction number two.

Consequences

However, it is highly unusual for this mishap to be publicised in the North Korean media. And this does not bode well, because in addition to the President's urgent call for the immediate restoration of the ship within a few weeks - until the upcoming party plenum at the end of June - the background is usually also about punishing the guilty parties. According to experts, taking responsibility for this "disgrace and dishonour of the nation" in North Korea usually goes hand in hand with the accusation and disappearance of people - in this case the country's leading design, shipyard and shipbuilding engineers.

Repairs will take months and, in the worst case, even require a new build. This also answers the question of series production of these ships for the time being. North Korea will first have to recover from this shock. Now all eyes are on the "Choe Hyon" in the west of the country.

Launching ballistic weapons from the sea?

The use of ballistic weapons from seagoing platforms is also an option that is currently being developed by the South Korean navy.