(Adnkronos) – The North Korean destroyer damaged during its launch, under the eyes of Kim Jong Un, and then put back into the water is now in a port near the border between North Korea and Russia. For analysts, everything could indicate a role for Moscow in the repair of the warship damaged on May 21 in the port of Chongjin. Satellite images from Sunday by Maxar Technologies, CNN reports, show the 5,000-ton destroyer in a dry dock in the port of Rajin, in the Rason Special Economic Zone.
Here, according to Yu Jihoon of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses quoted by CNN, there are no large facilities, but what is sufficient for ‘contained’ repairs and maintenance operations and the proximity to Russia “makes it a key hub for North Korea’s commitment to strengthening economic and potentially military relations with Moscow”.
In 2024, a report by the Modern War Institute at West Point, CNN recalls, defined the Rason Special Economic Zone as “a significant point for cooperation between North Korea and Russia, recently involved in North Korean arms supplies to Russia for use in Ukraine”.
Last week North Korea claimed to “have restored the ship’s balance in early June” and independent satellite images, cited by CNN itself, showed the warship in the water away from the dock where the disaster occurred, when the stern slipped into the sea earlier than expected, causing damage to the hull and leaving the bow of the destroyer ‘lying’ on its side stranded.
The North Korean leader immediately ordered work at record speed so that the destroyer would be ready before the end of June, before the plenary of the Central Committee of the ruling party. Last week, North Korean official media reported that work in the dry dock would take seven to ten days, respecting the timing of Kim, who was furious about the “serious incident”.
For Kim Duk-ki, a retired South Korean admiral interviewed by CNN, there could be damage, such as to the sonar, for which ‘cross-border’ assistance may be needed. The opinion of South Korean deputy Yu Yong-weon, who told the American network how the Seoul military believes that “the external damage to the ship does not seem significant, while the main problem seems to have been the entry of water inside the ship”.
