By William Tucker
Chief Correspondent for In Homeland Security
Pyongyang recently announced that one of its naval vessels had sunk and all crew members were lost. The announcement was accompanied by a photo of Kim Jong-un visiting a newly built memorial for the sailors who perished in mid-October. Reuters reported that 19 markers were visible in the photo, though a higher casualty count is possible. Because of the restriction on information coming out of North Korea it is difficult to say for certain. With the information available it is likely that the vessel was a Chinese built Type-037 (Hainan class) Submarine Chaser which North Korea had designated as No. 233. The Hainan class was originally constructed between 1960-1980 in China and was designed to replace an older Soviet design. What caused this vessel to sink is a matter of speculation, though collision with another North Korean ship or poor maintenance are the likely culprits. North Korea does have a large military, but numbers alone are deceiving. Much of the North’s military equipment is not only obsolete, but poorly maintained due to financial constraints. Further problems will likely occur, though they may not be reported.
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