North Korea says repaired destroyer has launched, a claim met with
outside skepticism
[June 13, 2025]
By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said it has repaired its damaged
second naval destroyer and launched the ship into the water in the
presence of leader Kim Jong Un, about three weeks after it capsized
during a botched launch ceremony.
In a lavish ceremony 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 U.S.-led hostilities, the Korean Central News
Agency said Friday.
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.
North Korea's failed launch May 21 sparked fury from Kim, who has vowed
to build a stronger navy to cope with what he calls escalating U.S.-led
threats against his country.
Kim said the incident was caused by criminal negligence and ordered
officials to repair the warship before a ruling Workers’ Party meeting
in late June. North Korean authorities later detained four officials
including the vice director of the Workers’ Party’s munitions industry
department over the botched launch.
Kim lauds the destroyer's launch
In his Thursday speech, Kim said the country’s two destroyers will play
a big role in improving the navy’s operational capabilities, according
to KCNA.
Kim reiterated previous claims that his naval buildup is a justified
response to perceived threats posed by the U.S. 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. He said the North will respond to such external threats with
“overwhelming military action."
“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.
Kim said a North Korean shipyard worker died during the repairs and
offered his “deepest condolences” to his family, including his wife and
son who were present at the launch event.
Experts doubt North Korean claim
Outside experts earlier said it remained unclear how severely the
5,000-ton-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
its damages it described as “not serious.”
Previous satellite photos showed the North Korean destroyer lying on its
side at the northeastern port of Chongjin, 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 further north of Chongjin and close
to the border with Russia, for the next stage of its restoration works.
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This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a North
Korea's new naval destroyer, initially damaged in a failed launch
ceremony at the Chongjin port on May 22, shortly after the ship
arrived for a ceremonial relaunch at the Rajin dockyard in Najin,
North Korea, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP)
“Considering the time they needed to raise the vessel, they would
have had less than two weeks to carry out the real repair work,”
said Yang Uk, an analyst at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy
Studies. “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.”
Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network in South Korea,
said 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.
Lee said the ship's move to Rajin implies Russian experts have
likely been assisting North Korea with repairs.
Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has been
flourishing significantly in recent years, with the North supplying
troops and ammunitions to support Russia's war against Ukraine.
Kim wants a bigger navy
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 say the North's
two destroyers were both likely built with Russian help.
Kim Jong Un said the ruling Workers’ Party has confirmed plans to
build two more 5,000-ton-class destroyers next year, according to
Friday's KCNA dispatch.
Satellite imagery indicated North Korea had attempted to launch the
second destroyer sideways, a method it had never used for warships.
Many observers said it would be more difficult to maintain the
balance of a big warship because it carries heavy weapons systems.
But they said North Korea won't likely repeat the same mistake when
it launches its third and fourth destroyers.
According to North Korea's timetable, its first two destroyers are
to be deployed next year.
Despite its growing nuclear arsenal and huge 1.2 million-member
standing army, North Korea's naval and aerial forces have been
considered inferior to those of South Korea's. But North Korea's
planned deployment of a series of 5,000-ton-class destroyers would
pose “really a serious threat" to South Korea, whose navy hasn't
still prepared itself to deal with such big, advanced enemy
warships, according to Lee, the expert.
Earlier this week, the new liberal South Korean government led by
President Lee Jae-myung halted frontline propaganda broadcasts as
its first concrete step toward easing tensions between the rivals.
North Korea hasn't responded formally to the measure.
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