Damaged North Korea warship now in drydock near Russian border
Less than three weeks after its botched launch, the naval destroyer has been righted and is undergoing repairs at Rajin.
By RFA Staff 2025.06.09 -- Satellite imagery shows a North Korea warship that tipped over during its launch last month is now undergoing repairs at drydock near the Russian and Chinese borders.
An image from Maxar Technologies taken on Sunday shows the 5,000 ton naval destroyer at the dock in Raijin, which lies in a special economic zone in the northeastern tip of the country.
The warship fell sideways into the sea during its launch at the Chongjin shipyard on May 21, leaving it partially submerged and stoking the anger of leader Kim Jong Un, who called it a "grave and unacceptable accident" and a "serious criminal act."
To the surprise of most foreign observers, North Korea managed not only to right the warship last week, but haul it 45 miles (72 kilometers) up the coast to Rajin, also known as Rason.
State-run Korean Central News Agency said the ship was relaunched last Thursday. Experts will examine the hull for the next stage of restorations, to be carried out at Rajin Dockyard for 7-10 days, the report said.
Kim had attended the botched launch on May 21, which put a dent in North Korea's ambitions to build a blue water navy. He had demanded the vessel be fully restored before a key ruling party meeting later this month.
State media reported on May 25 that several officials from the Chongjin Shipyard have been arrested over the launch failure.
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