Overview

• Satellite imagery from June 2 showed the Choe Hyon-class destroyer upright at Chongjin Shipyard for the first time since its May 21 accident.
• Workers employed manual salvage methods, using tethers, barrage balloons, barges and cranes under accelerated state directives.
• The ship’s bow remains on its launch cradle ashore and analysts warn its sonar section may have been damaged.
• Kim Jong Un condemned the incident as a “criminal act,” ordered full restoration before a ruling party meeting and oversaw detentions of several officials.
• The episode highlights critical gaps in Chongjin’s shipyard infrastructure and expertise as North Korea presses ahead with naval modernization.