Overview

• North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reported the 5,000-ton destroyer was lifted upright and moored at a Chongjin pier after capsizing during a failed May launch.
• Experts will examine the hull in Chongjin before conducting a seven- to ten-day restoration at a Rajin dry dock targeting a late-June completion.
• Kim Jong Un denounced the faulty launch as a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism” and imposed a strict repair deadline.
• North Korean authorities have detained four officials held responsible for the botched launch and capsizing incident.
• The vessel, North Korea’s second known 5,000-ton destroyer capable of carrying nuclear-capable missiles, may have been developed with Russian technical assistance according to South Korean intelligence.