The unconventional technique for launching big military vessels points to North Korea’s haste in modernizing its outdated navy and lack of resources. A week ago, Kim Jong Un traveled to North Korea’s “City of Iron,” home to a major industrial shipyard where a hulking warship awaited him. A VIP podium had been erected alongside the port for the vessel’s launch. Officials waited in anticipation. But the moment of celebration turned into calamity. The 5,000-ton destroyer lost its balance as it lurched into the water, toppling over and embarrassing Kim, who seeks to modernize his Soviet-era naval fleet. Four North Korean officials have been detained over the mishap, according to state media, which called it an “unpardonable crime.” What has become clearer in the aftermath is how an unconventional choice of launch method, Kim’s rushed timetable and a top-heavy warship overladen with weapons systems was a recipe for disaster, according to satellite-imagery analysis, naval experts and North Korea’s official statements
via wsj: The Risky ‘Side Launch’ That Doomed Kim Jong Un’s New Warship