North Korea races to fix capsized warship by Kim’s deadline

The 5000-ton destroyer is one of Kim’s crown jewels in his dream of modernising his decades-old navy.

North Korea covered its new warship in blue tarp after a failed launch, as seen in this satellite image taken last week. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

The North Korean warship that capsized last month during a botched launch has returned to an upright position, satellite imagery shows, as the country works to restore the vessel before leader Kim Jong-un’s patience runs out.

The 5000-ton destroyer is one of Kim’s crown jewels in his dream of modernising his decades-old navy.

At a May 21 launch event, Kim witnessed his Choe Hyon-class destroyer — only North Korea’s second such modernised warship — topple into the water. Officials had deployed a risky “side launch” manoeuvre to get the ship off the dock.

It failed. The destroyer’s bow remained on land, while the stern plunged into the surrounding waters — flipping on its side and partially sinking. “Absolute carelessness,” Kim told officials.

That was exactly two weeks ago. In the mishap’s immediate aftermath, North Korea vowed to pump out the seawater over several days; the ship would be back upright in roughly 10 days. It covered the ship in blue tarps, hiding the damage from the outside world.

The effort appears to be on track, despite the end-of-June target to restore the ship being met with scepticism, according to 38 North, a leading authority on North Korea’s military that analysed satellite imagery of the Chongjin shipyard on June 2.

Helipad markings that would be on the stern’s deck are now visible, said 38 North, a website affiliated with the Stimson Center, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The Choe Hyon-class warship — named after a former North Korean guerrilla fighter — appears to have incurred damage to the sonar bow section, it added. Repairs would typically require the ship to be taken out of the water, then moved to the types of dry docks that the Chongjin shipyard lacks, 38 North said.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un last month. Picture: Korean Central News Agency/AFP

For now, the damaged bow remains on the dock’s launch mechanism, suggesting repairs will begin with that part of the warship, 38 North said.

North Korean state media hasn’t reported on whether the submerged vessel has been lifted out of the water. The most recent official mention of the warship came last week with a report that work restoring the balance of the warship was under way. North Korea has called the gaffe an “unpardonable crime.”

The North Korean warship does appear to be upright in the satellite imagery from the 38 North report, and hitting the intended timeline seems plausible, said Choi Il, a retired South Korean navy captain.

“North Korea moved fast to keep the ship from sinking further into the sea,” said Choi, who now heads the Submarine Research Institute in South Korea, which archives documents.

Wall Street Journal