North Korea says it has raised a capsized destroyer upright as it continues repair

North Korea has announced that it has righted and moored a recently capsized destroyer at a pier in the northeastern port city of Chongjin, as it continues repair efforts on the 5,000-ton-class warship. Leader Kim Jong-un has hailed the ship as a major addition to his country’s nuclear-armed military.

The update by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency aligned with South Korean military assessments and satellite imagery, which indicated the vessel is now upright and afloat in the harbour. According to the North Korea-focused website 38North, the ship is being prepped for further restoration at a dry dock in the neighbouring port of Rajin, expected to take seven to ten days.

The warship had capsized during a failed launching ceremony in late May, prompting Kim’s furious condemnation of the mishap as a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism." At least four officials, including the deputy director of the ruling Workers’ Party’s munitions industry department, have since been detained.

South Korea’s military spokesperson Lee Sung-joon said the North had successfully righted the destroyer earlier this week and was likely carrying out drainage and damage assessments. He noted the severity of the damage, and future use of the ship would depend on whether the keel was affected.

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Source: TRT