Military Failure: North Korea Detains Four Military Officials

May 26th, 2025

Harry Xu

On Wednesday, the launch of North Korea’s second naval destroyer failed; images show the vessel as being partially submerged and draped in blue covers. Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un witnessed the launch first-hand, just as he did for the first naval destroyer’s launch. He was furious at the failure, as the ship was crucial to the country’s military development.

As a result, four officials were detained and held in custody. Recently, it has become uncommon for severe punishments to be imposed on failed military launches in North Korea. Kim Jong-Un is notorious for his ability to kill powerful figures who can challenge his power; however, in the past few years, Kim’s control on the country has led to few public incidents happening.

The launch failed due to a transport cradle detaching early from the ship. Additionally, the ship was launched sideways, which is not recommended for warships. Ri Hyong Son, the vice director of the munitions department, was one of the four officials detained. The other officials included the chief engineer, the head of construction, and the deputy manager of administration. The Korean Central News Agency reported that it would take roughly 10 days to repair the ship, although South Korean defense expert Lee Illwoo claims that repairs could potentially take more than a year.

In the past, North Korea has been known to conceal their failures; however, this time, Kim Jong-Un has openly addressed it. Besides the detaining of the four officials, he has commanded other officials to begin repairing the ship. Professor Kim Dong-yub says that the failure is being used to strengthen the leader’s control over science and technology development. However, there may be consequences for this. Lee Choon Geun, a South Korean researcher, said that this incident showed that “political responsibility is being prioritized over technical accountability.”

It is unknown what North Korea plans to do to the four military officials. However, one thing is clear: they will not tolerate any military failures. If Kim Jong-Un will prioritize the country’s reputation over its innovation, it may lead to stark consequences for North Korea in the future.

Extemp Analysis by Finian Knepper

Question: Should the US be concerned about North Korea’s developing military?

AGDs: This topic is quite interesting - dramatic AGDS usually concern a personal story of someone affected - and while that is true for the 4 detained - we know very little about who they are and what's going to happen to them. As such, feel free to punch up with this one and make fun of Kim-Jon-Un.

BG: For this example question I wrote, the BG depends on what your argument is. If you want to argue that the US shouldn’t, emphasize this story. If you want to argue they should, look past this individual example and tell your judges about other militarization efforts that are going to become an issue: that the failed launch is just a temporary setback. Ensuring your background and context line up with the points you’re going to make is an important, and often overlooked, part of extemp.

Thesis and Substructure: As this question is descriptive, use a corresponding substructure. I recommend Status Quo, Status Quo change, impact. Looking to where North Korea’s military was in the past - how they’ve moved past it, and what it means for the world is a good way to do it. If, however, you’d like to argue that the US shouldn’t be worried, it’s in your interest to use a different substructure: Expectation Verification. Why NK’s military is behind - and why that's going to continue.