On the morning of May 22, 2025, it was reported that an accident occurred in North Korea during the launch of the second destroyer, intended to carry 74 missiles of various types in its vertical launching system.
The peculiarity of the situation lies in the fact that the North Korean authorities were the first to officially confirm the accident. The term "unscientific empiricism" was used to explain the causes of the incident. Following the announcement by the North Korean Central News Agency, a satellite image showing the aftermath was made publicly available.
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The report states that dictator Kim Jong Un has given a month to eliminate the consequences of the accident and restore the ship. However, the image shows that one month is not enough.
It is rather unusual that the North Korean regime chose to acknowledge this mishap. Previously, the North Korean authorities did not publicly recognize the facts of such incidents. However, Western countries still obtained details with the help of reconnaissance satellites.
At first glance, North Korea has gained nothing by recognizing the problems during the launch of the second destroyer. Therefore, it is not clear why it was necessary to publicly announce this episode.
It should be noted that in May 2025, a satellite image showing that the destroyer was completed was made publicly available for the first time. Therefore, the North Korean regime could have expected the West to be impressed by how quickly the country is building modern warships.
In addition, such a public acknowledgment of the accident by North Korean authorities could create an "illusion of openness" for Western countries. Therefore, despite unclear motives, the North Korean regime had enough reasons to publicly acknowledge this incident.
Earlier Defense Express reported that up to 20 North Korean MiG-29 fighters had been modified to launch AIM-120 analog.
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