A damaged North Korean warship when it was launched three weeks ago was stored on a second attempt when leader Kim Jong one examined, but analysts say that the 5,000-ton destroyer may not yet be fully operational.
On Thursday, North Korea organized an official launching ceremony for the repaired naval destroyer named “Kang Kon” at the Rajin shipyard, 45 miles (72 kilometers) on the chongjin shipyard where the war ship on May 21 fell laterally in the sea, which left it partially submerged.
“The warship was raised safely and floated in just two weeks since the accident occurred, and a complete restoration was completed before the Central Party Committee (Reunion) as planned,” said Kim, according to a Core Korean press agency led by the State (KCNA).
Kim – who had attended the failure of the attempted launch of May 21 and called him with anger a “serious criminal act” and an “serious unacceptable accident” – had ordered that the ship was completely restored before a key meeting of the ruling party later this month.
But Thursday, a radiant Kim – carrying a large straw hat and accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju -Ae – praised the successful restoration during the launch ceremony which was celebrated with a lot of pump and glory, saying that “real lessons” had been learned in the process, according to KCNA.
The precipitated “restoration” and the revival highlights Kim's determination to project naval force despite the technical setbacks, while it pushes to extend the maritime capacities which could “be entirely projected in the necessary waters without limitation”, as it had warned earlier this year.
Kim said that a plan to build two additional 5,000 -ton destroyers next year had recently been approved, reporting a continuous concentration of North Korea on strengthening its naval power.
North Korea has challenged skeptics of its ability to recover the Kang Kon after the sloppy initial launch, but in two weeks, satellite imagery showed that it had been straightened and then towed for repairs to Rajin, which is in the northeast part of the country, near the Russian and Chinese borders.
On Friday, the Ministry of Unification of South Korea, which manages intercreen relations, said that no visible defect had been observed in the appearance of the destructive, but added that continuous monitoring is necessary to determine if it normally works.
“The attention is paid whether a live shooting test of the ship's weapons will be carried out immediately after the launching ceremony to affirm that the destroyer is still in good condition,” said the South Korean ministry.
“If major equipment is overwhelmed or damaged, it can take a long time to restore its original condition,” he added.
Analysts said there was no clear evidence at the launch ceremony that Kang Kon was fully operational.
“The North Korean version of the anti-Navire missiles that have been loaded on the Choe Hyon are not visible on the Kang Kon,” said the South Korean legislator and a former defense journalist Yoo Yong-Won, referring to another 5,000 tonnes that North Korea unveiled in April.
“It is very likely that the warship was launched after only the outside has been causing in a hurry … (and) without some of its equipment being loaded due to the damage caused by the accident,” he added.
Written by Tenzin Pema. Edited by Mat Pennington.