North Korea's sunken destroyer launched for the second time
North Korea has successfully launched a 5,000-ton destroyer after completing repairs to damage sustained during its first launch in May, which crushed the ship's bottom.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•14/06/2025
New satellite imagery suggests North Korea has held a new launch ceremony, or similar event, for its second Choi-Hyun-class destroyer. The War Zone has obtained new images of the frigate, whose name has not yet been released, taken by Maxar Technologies. The first failed launch occurred on May 21 in the port city of Chongjin, and the ship was refitted on June 2 and then towed to a dry dock facility in the northeastern port city of Rajin. Photo: @Maxar Technologies. “In the latest satellite imagery, we can see a large crowd of spectators on the dock next to the destroyer, a ceremonial flag flying over the ship, and dozens of buses parked nearby to take people to the ceremony,” Maxar Technologies noted in a statement accompanying the image. Photo: @Maxar Technologies.
Additionally, the image shows what appear to be grandstands or other temporary structures appropriate for a major event like a launch ceremony. These structures were not present in the previous image, taken by Maxar Technologies on June 8 after the ship arrived in Rajin. Photo: @Maxar Technologies.
As The War Zone previously explained: “Several areas of the ship are flooded with seawater, which will have a major impact on any machinery and electronics in those areas. All of this will take a long time to fix, and we still don’t know the condition of the hull, despite the 80km trip to its current repair site. This is a large and complex ship for North Korea to repair, and the facilities at Rajin are not extensive. It is still possible that North Korea is receiving help from China or Russia. Russia, in particular, works closely with North Korea on military assistance in exchange for North Korea’s support in the war in Ukraine. The ship’s location near the Russian border in an economic zone dominated by cross-border trade also points to the possibility that Russia may be helping North Korea fix the problem on this ship.” Photo: @Maxar Technologies. In the new imagery available, the second Choi-Hyun-class frigate also looks pristine, at least on the outside, but it’s clear that significant structural damage to the superstructure was clearly visible on June 8, but is no longer visible today. So how the North Koreans managed to achieve this miraculous recovery is unknown. Photo: @Maxar Technologies. In the latest update, North Korean state media has now confirmed that the second Choi-Hyun-class frigate was launched in Raijin on June 12. We also know the name of the ship, Kang Kon. As for the meaning of the name, “Kang Kon was the political commissar of a regiment of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army (KPRA), and also belonged to a commando unit during the armed struggle against Japan. After the liberation of Korea, he served as Vice Minister of National Defense and Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) concurrently. During the Fatherland Liberation War, he served as Chief of the General Staff of the Front Command before joining the army on September 8, 1950.” Photo: @Maxar Technologies.
During the second launch ceremony, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also mentioned the previous failed launch at Chongjin. However, he stressed that: “Just over two weeks after the incident, the destroyer was stabilized and refloated… through this recovery effort, we were also able to confirm the structural stability and technical excellence of the destroyer’s design.” The Rodong Sinmun report added: “The ship will now undergo necessary sequential procedures, including weapon system integration, performance and operational capability evaluation, and integrated operational testing, before being delivered to the Korean People’s Navy in the middle of next year.” Photo: @Maxar Technologies.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•14/06/2025
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