Partially Submerged North Korean Frigate Appears Upright Again In Satellite Image
North Korea looks to be making progress in recovering the second in its Choi Hyun class of frigates, which rolled over and was partially submerged after an incident at its launch ceremony last month. Recent imagery of the warship indicates that it has now returned to an upright position, although the target of restoring the frigate before the end of this month remains highly dubious.
38 North, a website devoted to the analysis of North Korea, today published satellite imagery from Airbus Defense and Space, of the scene at Chongjin Shipyard on June 2, as seen in the social media post below. This appears to show the warship upright for the first time since the failed launch on May 21. Though there is light cloud cover overhead, the flight deck — specifically the markings for the helipad — looks to be visible at the stern, and the ship's overall profile has changed.
This is quite incredible speed. The image is partially obscured by cloud, but the capsized North Korean warship is now upright again. What makes it even more impressive is they apparently did it all manually.
: Airbus Space and Defence/38 North, June 2www.38north.org/2025/06/quic…
— Martyn Williams (@martynw.bsky.social) 2025-06-03T18:28:44.771Z
The vessel, which has an estimated displacement of 5,000 tons, is the second of its class, following the Choi Hyon, which was officially unveiled in April. You can read all about the heavily armed class of frigates in our previous detailed analysis and follow-up report.
38 North notes that workers can be seen pulling ropes from the quay, in an attempt to manually right the warship, in a separate satellite image from Airbus Defense and Space taken on May 29. At least 30 buoys and/or airbags can be seen alongside the vessel, presumably to help stabilize it. Some reports have suggested these were barrage balloons, although that doesn't appear to make any sense in this case.
At this stage, it's not possible to determine the level of damage that the frigate sustained during its abortive launch. 38 North suggests that the launch mechanism may have become stuck in the ship's bow, pinning it onto the land while the stern slipped into the water, after which the boat overturned. In the May 29 imagery, there appears to be damage around the bow section.
If the ship has been successfully righted, what the next steps might be in the repair process are unclear. There is not a dry dock that the vessel could be moved into readily at Chongjin if that level of work is required. At the same time, taking it to another yard could be a challenge, especially if there is serious damage to the hull. Seeking outside help, including from Russia or China, could be an option. A floating dry dock could be especially useful in this instance.
North Korea's latest naval destroyer has been significantly damaged prior to its launch. In a rare acknowledgment, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported yesterday an incident occurred with a new destroyer in Chongjin, which was close to being launched. pic.twitter.com/0PfuqehYnF
— Open Source Centre (@osc_london) May 22, 2025
I made a .gif showing the DPRK frigate in position to launch and then, er, "toes up" in the water. pic.twitter.com/Urflog6LEo
— Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) May 22, 2025
North Korean state media has previously claimed that there is no serious damage to the warship, which is at best highly questionable if not impossible.
'Detailed underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship's bottom, the hull starboard was scratched, and a certain amount of seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel,' per a report from KCNA on May 23. 'The extent of damage to the warship is not serious, and the result of the flooding process immediately after the accident is only information necessary to take practical rehabilitation measures. The above-said data have no connection with the cause of the accident and the identification of its responsibility.'
At the very least, the North Korean shipyard appears to have made significant progress on the initial recovery of the ship, more or less in line with official estimates. 'Experts estimated that it will take two or three days to keep the balance of the warship by pumping up the seawater from the flooded chamber and making the bow leave the slipway, and 10-odd days to restore the warship's side,' KCNA also said in its May 23 report.
On that same day, TWZ obtained satellite imagery showing the stricken vessel still covered with blue tarps, but now with two steel cables connecting it to a shipyard dock, as the recovery effort began to take shape.
Bearing in mind the embarrassing and highly public nature of the incident, and the fact that the launch ceremony was attended by dictator Kim Jong Un, there is very much an imperative to get the warship repaired, at least outwardly, as soon as possible.
Kim called the incident 'a criminal act' and promised that the officials found responsible would be 'dealt with at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee' this month. This is a high-level meeting of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. At least three shipyard officials have been detained as part of a subsequent investigation. The head of the Chongjin Shipyard, Hong Kil Ho, was initially summoned by state law enforcement officials, but does not appear to have been detained. A senior North Korean Communist Party official, Ri Hyong Son, was also summoned.
Looks like Ri Hyong Son, a senior party official, is also taking the fall. pic.twitter.com/2Ck1LYwdwq
— Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) May 25, 2025
Earlier this month, Kim also called for the frigate to be restored before this same meeting, something that was met with widespread skepticism outside of North Korea.
While returning the frigate to an upright position would be an achievement, there will very likely be a lot more less obvious but critical work ahead. How it sits now upright, with one part in the water and the other on shore, is also a precarious situation in itself.
The degree to which the incident and its aftermath have been played out in view of the public is certainly noteworthy. Unusually, Pyongyang announced details of the incident soon after it happened, including comments from Kim, in an apparent effort to control the narrative. Coupled with the availability of satellite imagery, this now means that there will be an even greater focus on the recovery efforts, especially given Kim's fantastical timeline for its restoration.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
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