North Korea relaunches capsized warship after botched initial ceremony

North Korea held a launch ceremony for a newly built 5,000-ton-class destroyer on June 12 at the Najin Shipyard, after completing repairs on the vessel that had previously capsized in front of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a botched ceremony last month.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the news on June 13.

KCNA confirmed the destroyer was the same ship that suffered an accident, saying that Kim “met and encouraged the scientists, technicians and workers in the field of the warship-building industry who contributed to the construction of the destroyer and the restoration to its original state.”

The destroyer was identified as a Choe Hyon-class vessel, first launched in April, under the orders of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party. The ship has been named Kang Kon.

Kang Kon was an independence fighter in Manchuria during the Japanese colonial period from 1910 to 1945. After the founding of North Korea, he served as the first chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army and vice minister of national defense. He died during the 1950–53 Korean War.

KCNA described the continued acquisition of new destroyers as both “a great demonstration of indomitable mental power of the workers in the field of the warship-building industry and the reserved strength of our national power,” as well as “a matchless step forward in realizing the marine strategy of the Party Central Committee to reliably defend the security of the country and world peace.”

The destroyer in question capsized during its initial launch on May 21 at the Chongjin Shipyard, when the ship’s stern hit the water first and its bow became stuck on land, causing it to tip over.

According to a government source, the vessel sustained no damage to its engine or other key systems. KCNA also previously reported that the destroyer would undergo further repairs at the dry dock of the Najin Ship Repair Factory after additional inspections.

Experts said that the vessel likely required procedures to remove seawater and dried salt from its internal systems, machinery and electronic equipment.

In a June 6 report, KCNA said the detailed restoration work at Najin Port was expected to take seven to 10 days. The process was completed 23 days after the incident. Kim had reportedly ordered the destroyer to be fully restored before a plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party scheduled for late June.

BY BAE JAE-SUNG [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]