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North Korea has claimed to have successfully lifted and moored a capsized 5,000-ton warship that was damaged during a failed launch ceremony in May.
Some shit you should know before you read: Back on May 21, during a highly publicized launch ceremony attended by Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s newly constructed 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class destroyer suffered a catastrophic failure when a transport cradle at the stern detached prematurely, causing the ship to partially capsize in the harbor. The failed side-launch, which took place in the northeastern port city of Chongjin, led to significant damage to the vessel’s hull and was immediately labeled by Kim as a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism.” In response to the incident, at least four high-ranking officials, including the vice director of the Workers’ Party’s munitions industry department, were arrested and publicly blamed for the incident. Kim ultimately ordered that the ship be fully restored before a major ruling party meeting in late June.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, North Korean state-controlled media announced that the capsized destroyer has been successfully righted and moored at a pier in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday that “after restoring the balance of the destroyer early in June, the team moored it at the pier” and that the vessel is now preparing for the next phase of restoration. KCNA highlighted that a team of “experts” is closely examining the hull for internal damage and that the ship will be transferred 42 miles northeast up the coast to the Rajin Dockyard for further inspection and repair over the next seven to ten days.
Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from the ruling Workers’ Party, said that the “perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail” before the upcoming major party congress in late June (a deadline directly set by Kim Jong Un).
South Korea’s military has independently confirmed North Korea’s progress through commercial satellite imagery and internal assessments. Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that they “assess that the North Koreans righted the ship earlier this week and are likely conducting drainage operations while examining the damage.” He added that “the nature and duration of the repair process will vary, depending on internal repairs, additional work or whether the incident affected the keel,” noting that the keel’s condition could impact how the destroyer is used in the future.
