It was confirmed that Kim Myong Sik, the former commander of the North Korean Navy, has resurfaced in state media after being dismissed as the person responsible for the launch failure of the new 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon last month. His photos had previously been removed from North Korean media outlets.
Korean Central Television rebroadcast a documentary film titled “The Journey of Devotion to the People: A New Change in 2024,” featuring Kim Jong Un on Sunday. The film, which initially aired on January 29, included footage of the former commander Kim accompanying Kim Jong Un during an on-site inspection. This scene remained unedited in the rerun.
The incident involving North Korea’s new destroyer launch failure occurred last month when the vessel capsized during its launch at the Chongjin Shipyard.
North Korea announced on June 12 that they had fully recovered from the incident and held a launch ceremony, with related reports released on June 13. The footage aired that day on Korean Central Television included a photo of Kim Jong Un overseeing shipbuilding operations at the shipyard in March. This confirmed that Kim Myong Sik’s image, which had appeared in the March report, had been removed.
NK News noted that the removal of a specific official from state media had not occurred since the execution of Jang Song Thaek in 2013. It suggested that this could indicate these officials have been permanently dismissed from leadership positions or may face severe punishments such as imprisonment or execution.
It has been confirmed that the North Korean Navy commander position has been transferred from Kim Myong Sik to Pak Kwang Sop.
While there’s a possibility that state media accidentally failed to remove the former commander’s image, some analysts speculate that footage or photos unrelated to the destroyer incident may not have been subject to editing.
In addition to the former commander, North Korea has summoned Hong Gil Ho, the head of the Chongjin Shipyard, and detained Kang Jong Chol, the chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard; Han Kyong Hak, head of the hull construction workshop; and Kim Yong Hak, deputy manager for administrative affairs. However, the regime has not disclosed what punishments these individuals may face.
