North Korea has claimed that it has successfully righted and moored a destroyer that capsized last month during a botched launching ceremony. The warship is now undergoing initial repairs at the north-eastern port of Chongjin before being transferred to a dry dock in Rajin.
The development was reported by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday and corroborates both South Korean military assessments and recent satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC. The ship, one of Pyongyang’s newest naval assets, had been described by leader Kim Jong-un as a crucial addition to the country’s growing nuclear-armed forces.
KCNA stated that experts were closely examining the hull, with restoration expected to resume in dry dock over the next seven to ten days. Satellite imagery analysed by the media on Thursday confirmed that the ship was now upright and afloat, with no significant listing apparent. However, the extent of the damage remains unclear.
Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from the ruling Workers’ Party, vowed that the “perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail” before a major party congress later this month, in line with a deadline set by Kim himself.
The vessel, weighing approximately 5,000 tonnes, was damaged during what has been described as a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism.” Kim is said to have reacted furiously to the failed launch in late May.
In the wake of the mishap, at least four senior officials have been detained by North Korean law enforcement, including the vice director of the Workers’ Party’s munitions industry department. The party’s main military committee has promised to hold those responsible accountable for the “unpardonable criminal act.”
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Colonel Lee Sung Joon, told reporters on Thursday that Pyongyang appeared to have righted the ship earlier this week and was likely conducting drainage operations while assessing the damage.
“The nature and duration of the repair process will vary, depending on internal repairs, additional work or whether the incident affected the keel,” Colonel Lee said. “This could also affect how the ship is used going forward.”
Also read: North Korea detains three over warship launch fiasco
The destroyer is North Korea’s second known vessel in its class and has been considered vital to Kim’s stated ambitions of modernising the country’s naval capabilities. The first destroyer in the series, unveiled in April at the western port of Nampo, was hailed by Kim as a “strategic asset” capable of extending the Navy’s operations range and its nuclear strike potential.
That ship is believed to be the North’s largest and most advanced warship to date and was reportedly equipped to handle multiple weapons systems, including anti-air and anti-ship defences, as well as ballistic and cruise missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.
Kim had supervised missile tests from the first destroyer and announced it would be deployed to active duty by early 2026.
Though North Korea’s naval power is considered markedly inferior to that of the United States, South Korea, or Japan, analysts suggest a destroyer equipped with modern radar and missile technology could significantly enhance the regime’s defensive and offensive reach.
There has been speculation among Western and South Korean intelligence that the construction of these warships may have received technical support from Russia. Moscow and Pyongyang have markedly deepened military cooperation since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Kim’s regime has reportedly supplied Russia with thousands of troops and large shipments of military hardware, including artillery and ballistic missiles, in support of Moscow’s campaign. In exchange, concerns have been raised that Pyongyang may be receiving advanced military technologies from the Kremlin.
Kim met with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday in a further sign of the warming military alliance between the two isolated states.
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