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A North Korean warship that overthrew during his launch ceremony when the supreme leader looked at him seems to have been straightened, shows satellite images.
The website based in the United States 38 North, specialized in North Korea, said that the imagery taken Monday showed the naval destroyer of 5,000 tonnes now standing in a shipyard in the northeast port city of Chongjin.
The warship fell laterally in the sea when it launched the shipyard on May 21, attaching the anger of leader Kim Jong Une, who called him “serious and unacceptable accident” and a “serious criminal act”. He had demanded that the ship be fully restored before a key meeting of the ruling party later this month.
Monday's imagery shows the standing ship for the first time, with its bow on earth, said 38 North. While some parts of the ship are obscured by slim cloudy coverage, the Heliport marks near the stern are clearly visible, he said.
38 North said that the recovery operation was probably carried out manually. In the satellite imagery taken on May 29, workers could be seen by pulling strings attached to the Quai ship. More than 30 flotation balls had been placed along one side of the warship to help lift it up.
Imaging has also suggested potential damage to the Sonar system of the ship, located on the lower shell. 38 North noted that any repair would require a dry dockage of the ship, adding that the Chongjin shipyard does not have the necessary installations, like a large floating quay.
The Korean Korean Core of Korea of North Korea reported on May 23 that unlike the initial hypotheses, no violation of the hull had occurred. He said that emptying flooded compartments and catering balance would take two to three days, while complete side repairs would require around 10 days.
Fear as a motivator
Choi Il, director of the South Korea's underwater research institute, said on Radio Free Asia on Warning Position on Wednesday on Wednesday is significant progress in the North Korea recovery effort.
“Since the ship has been straightened, it is fair to say that a substantial measure has been taken,” said Choi. “There may have been floods, but probably nothing serious.”
While recognizing the technical limits of the Naval Naval Construction sector of North Korea, Choi said that the country had accumulated a certain degree of expertise over time.
“The capacities of North Korea should not be underestimated. Their shipbuilding can be obsolete, but they have experience,” he said.
The retired US Navy Captain James Fanell, former information director of the Pacific American fleet, echoed this evaluation and said that the fear of the supreme chief would have been a strong incentive to do the work.
“My point of view on this subject is that the power of life and death has a remarkable impact on its capacities,” Fanell told RFA. “In this case, it is clear that Kim Jong one threatened people with serious penalties if they were unable to respect his calendar to obtain this standing and corrected destructive.”
State media reported on May 25 that several Chongjin shipyard had been arrested for the failure of the launch. Last year, a South Korean media reported that North Korean officials had been slaughtered after devastating floods struck part of the communist country.
Although the launching accident was a major embarrassment for Pyongyang, Fanell said that the recovery was probably more manageable because the ship had not sank or had been lost at sea.
“Although it was a national embarrassment, the ship was not outdoors and it did not flow,” he said. “So, in essence, it was a” controlled evolution “- one that would have the greatest attention and the greatest support of the summit to put it standing.”
However, doubts remain on the question of whether North Korea can completely restore the ship.
On May 27, the Beyond Parallel project at the Center for Strategic and International said it would be difficult to bring the ship back to the pre-launch state. He noted that the realignment, the replacement of electronics and wiring and the elimination of the corrosion of salt water would require in -depth work.
Additional report and translation by Jaewoo Park. Published by Sungwon Yang and Mat Pennington.