North Korea said it has repaired its damaged second naval destroyer and launched the ship into the water in the presence of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, about three weeks after it capsized during a botched launch ceremony.
In a lavish ceremony on Thursday, Kim boarded the warship and told troops that nothing can block his country’s push to bolster its naval combat power in the face of US-led hostilities, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said yesterday.
The country’s extremely secretive nature makes it virtually impossible to independently confirm the announcement on the ship’s repair. Outside observers doubt whether the ship’s engine, weapons systems and other electronic equipment can function normally, as parts of the warship were submerged for about two weeks.
Photo: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea’s failed May 21 launch had sparked fury from Kim, who said the incident was caused by criminal negligence and ordered officials to repair the warship before a ruling Workers’ Party meeting late this month.
He also reiterated previous claims that his naval build-up is a justified response to perceived threats posed by the US and South Korea, which in recent years have expanded their combined military exercises and updated their deterrence strategies to counter Kim’s advancing nuclear program.
“It will not be long before the enemy nations themselves experience just how provoking and unpleasant it is to sit back and watch as our warships freely move near the edges of their sovereign waters,” Kim said.
However, experts earlier said it remained unclear how severely the 5,000-tonne-class destroyer was damaged and questioned North Korea’s claim it needed 10 days to pump out the seawater, set the ship upright and fix damages it described as “not serious.”
Previous satellite photos showed the destroyer lying on its side, with its stern partly under water.
Last week, North Korea said it had righted the warship and would move it to the Rajin port, which is close to the border with Russia, for the next stage of its restoration works.
“Considering the time they needed to raise the vessel, they would have had less than two weeks to carry out the real repair work,” Asan Institute for Policy Studies analyst Yang Uk said. “Would that have been enough time to completely fix everything and bring the vessel to a state where it’s operationally capable? I think that’s highly unlikely.”
Korea Defense Network expert Lee Illwoo said that what was likely flooded in the North Korean ship were its engine room, missile launch tubes and anti-air weapons systems, which all involve electronic systems that are highly vulnerable to damages if exposed to seawater.
The ship’s move to Rajin implies Russian experts have likely been assisting North Korea with repairs, Lee said.
Military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has been flourishing significantly in recent years, with North Korea supplying troops and ammunitions to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The damaged warship was in the same class as the country’s first destroyer unveiled in April, which experts assessed as the North’s largest and most advanced warship to date.
Experts said North Korea’s two destroyers were likely built with Russian help.
According to North Korea’s timetable, its first two destroyers are to be deployed next year.
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