North Korean 5,000-ton destroyer turns upright

A partially submerged North Korean destroyer is now upright again, but the extent of the damage and how they moved the ship to somewhere for repairs remains unclear.

North Korea appears to be making progress in rehabilitating its second 5,000-ton Choi Hyun-class frigate, which capsized and partially sank following an accident at its launching ceremony last month. Photo: @2025 Maxar Technologies.

Recent images of the warship show it is now back upright, although the target of recovering the frigate by the end of this month remains vague. Photo: @2025 Maxar Technologies.

38 North, a website specializing in analyzing North Korea, recently released satellite images from Airbus Defense and Space, of the scene at the Chongjin Shipyard on June 2. The photo shows the warship in an upright position for the first time since its unsuccessful launch on May 21. Photo: @Pleiades NEO/Airbus DS 2025.

Despite the light cloud cover above, it is not difficult to see that the flight deck (for helicopter landing pads), along with the stern, and the overall shape of the ship appear to have stabilized again. Photo: @Pleiades NEO/Airbus DS 2025.

38 North also noted that workers can be seen pulling ropes from the pier, in an attempt to manually realign the warship, in a separate satellite image taken by Airbus Defense and Space on May 29. Photo: @Pleiades NEO/Airbus DS 2025.

At least 30 buoys or airbags can be seen along the ship, presumably used to help stabilize the ship. Other reports have suggested that these are balloons, although that doesn’t seem to make sense in this case. Photo: @Pleiades NEO/Airbus DS 2025.

If the ship has been successfully repositioned, it is unclear what the next steps in this repair process might be. Photo: @Roger.

.At the same time, getting it to another shipyard could be a major challenge, especially if the hull is severely damaged. Photo: @2025 Maxar Technologies.

Seeking outside help, including from Russia or China, could be an option. Photo: @Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

While getting the 5,000-ton destroyer upright is an achievement in itself, there is likely to be more less obvious, but more important, work ahead. The way it sits upright, with part underwater and the rest on land, is also a precarious situation. Photo: @Pleiades NEO/Airbus DS 2025.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/tau-khu-truc-5000-tan-cua-trieu-tien-tro-minh-thang-dung-post1545927.html