Latest news with #RajinDockyard
NHK
13-06-2025
- Politics
- NHK
North Korea holds launch ceremony for restored destroyer, state TV reports
North Korea's state-run media has reported that a launch ceremony was held on Thursday for a restored destroyer. The vessel had tipped onto its side and partially submerged following a failed launch last month. Korean Central Television reported that the ceremony took place at the Rajin Dockyard in the country's northeast following the completion of repairs. After the May 21 accident, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered that the destroyer be repaired before the ruling party central committee's plenary meeting scheduled for late June. Kim, who attended the event, revealed that the new destroyer is a Choe Hyon-class vessel -- the 5,000-ton warship that North Korea launched in April. He said, "Soon, enemies will experience themselves how provocative and unpleasant it is to sit and watch the ships of an adversary run rampant on the fringes of sovereign waters." Kim also revealed that his country will build two new destroyers of the same or even larger class every year, expressing his intention to boost naval capabilities, including securing strategic abilities in the Pacific. South Korea's Unification Ministry noted that no external defects were confirmed on the newly launched destroyer but said it is necessary to carefully monitor whether the vessel functions properly.
Reuters
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Satellite images show damaged North Korean warship moved to a port for repair, report says
SEOUL, June 10 (Reuters) - A North Korean stricken destroyer that partially capsized during a botched launching ceremony has arrived at a ship repair factory, a Washington think tank said. The destroyer that suffered a failed launch was moved to the graving dock at Rajin Dockyard, also known as Rajin Ship Repair Factory, by June 8, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said based on satellite imagery. State media reported on Friday that experts would examine the hull for the next stage of restorations, to be carried out at Rajin Dockyard for 7-10 days. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who witnessed the failed launch of the destroyer, called the accident a "criminal act". Since the accident in May, North Korea has said it detained several officials, and Kim ordered the ship restored before a ruling party meeting this month. The Rajin shipyard, located near the Russian border, has produced many of North Korea's larger warships for decades, CSIS said. "Once any critical repairs or restoration work are completed, the vessel will likely be transferred to the shipyard's fitting out dock, where its weapons and other systems will be installed and subsequently commissioned," the think tank said in a report. The ship lay on its side in the water after the botched launch, but it was pulled upright, according to U.S. researchers and the South Korean military. The 5,000-ton destroyers launched by North Korea this year are the country's largest warships yet, part of leader Kim's push to upgrade its naval power with vessels capable of carrying and launching dozens of missiles.
Al Jazeera
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
North Korea raises capsized warship after botched launch: Report
North Korea has raised a capsized warship and moored it at a port in the country's northeast for repair, after the vessel was damaged during a failed inaugural launch in May, the country's state news media reports. KCNA reported that 'after restoring the balance of the destroyer early in June, the team moored it at the pier' in the city of Chongjin on Thursday. The report on Friday aligns with South Korea's military assessments and recent commercial satellite images, which indicated that the 5,000-tonne destroyer has been restored to an upright position following the 'serious accident' on May 21, when it suffered damage to its hull after a transport cradle detached prematurely during a launch ceremony. The failed side-launch of the ship, which was witnessed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also left the vessel partially capsized in a port. Kim described the incident as a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness'. As part of a probe into the accident, four officials were arrested and accused of tarnishing North Korea's national dignity, according to KCNA. Experts will now examine the warship's hull for the next stage of restorations, to be carried out at Rajin Dockyard over the coming week to 10 days, KCNA said. The ship's full restoration is expected to be completed before a ruling party meeting later this month. Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, was quoted by KCNA as saying that the 'perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail' before the deadline set by the country's ruler, Kim. The damaged warship is North Korea's second known destroyer and is seen as a crucial asset in Kim's goal of modernising his country's naval forces. The South Korean military estimates, based on its size and scale, that the new warship is similarly equipped to the 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel Choe Hyon, which North Korea also unveiled last month. Pyongyang has said the Choe Hyon is equipped with the 'most powerful weapons', and that it would 'enter into operation early next year'. South Korea's military said the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian assistance, possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of soldiers to help Moscow fight Ukraine. Kim has framed the modernisation of his military as a response to threats from the US and South Korea, who are key allies and regularly conduct military drills together. The North Korean leader has also said that the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be the next step in strengthening his country's navy. On Wednesday, Kim met with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang in the latest sign of the countries' deepening ties, which were elevated when they signed a mutual defence pact in June last year that obliges them to provide immediate military assistance to each other using 'all means' necessary if either faces 'aggression'.
Reuters
05-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
North Korea's warship launched after botched first attempt, KCNA says
SEOUL, June 6 (Reuters) - North Korea has launched a warship that was damaged in May upon its attempted first launch, state media KCNA reported on Friday. After restoring the balance of the 5,000-tonne destroyer earlier in June, it was launched on Thursday and is now moored at a pier, KCNA said. Experts will examine the hull for the next stage of restorations, to be carried out at Rajin Dockyard for 7-10 days, KCNA said. The ship's full restoration is expected to be completed before a ruling party meeting this month. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who had witnessed the initial failed launch of the destroyer, had excoriated the accident as caused by "carelessness" that tarnished national dignity, and he ordered the ship restored before the party meeting.
