Overview

• State media and commercial satellite images show the 5,000-ton destroyer upright and moored at Chongjin after it capsized during a May 21 sideways launch witnessed by Kim Jong Un.
• An expert team will inspect the hull at Chongjin before transferring the ship to the Rajin Dockyard for a 7- to 10-day repair phase.
• Kim condemned the launch failure as a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness” and has detained at least four officials, including a vice director in the munitions industry department.
• The restored vessel is North Korea’s second known Choe Hyon-class destroyer and is seen as a key element in its push to field ships capable of carrying nuclear-capable missiles.
• South Korean analysts assess that Russian technical assistance underpinned development of the destroyer, underscoring growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.