What Happened to North Korea's Warship?

What happened to the failed launch and damage of North Korea's second guided missile destroyer on May 21, 2025? What caused the failure at the Hambuk Shipyard in Chongjin, which lacks significant expertise in manufacturing and launching large warships such as the new destroyer? What do we know about the ongoing salvage operations to recover the Choe Hyon-class destroyer? And what does this mean for Kim Jong-un's planned timeline for the development of the KPN from a coastal defense force into a nascent blue-water force capable of strategic offensive operations?

CSIS' Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. and Sydney Seiler answers all these questions and more in this new explainer video. 

This event is made possible through the general support of CSIS.