North Korea pulls capsized warship upright after botched launch, report says
Leader Kim Jong Un, who witnessed the failed launch of the 5,000-tonne warship, said the accident damaged the country's dignity and vowed to punish those found responsible.
Commercial satellite imagery from Jun 2 showed the destroyer upright for the first time since the May 21 accident, the 38 North programme, which studies the nuclear-armed North, said in a report.
Since the accident, North Korea has said it detained several officials, and Kim ordered the ship restored before a ruling party meeting this month.
"Commercial satellite imagery shows workers at the port in Chongjin have taken a significant step towards that goal," 38 North said in its report.
Workers were observed pulling tethers, and possibly using barrage balloons, in a manual effort to right the ship, it added. The imagery shows the vessel's bow still on land, with possible damage to its sonar section.
"To repair this, the ship will need to be moved out of the water to either a large floating drydock or graving dock once afloat," 38 North said. "However, Chongjin's shipyard does not offer this infrastructure."
The east coast shipyard has turned out primarily cargo and fishing vessels and lacks significant expertise in launching large warships such as the new destroyer, other military experts have said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Israel army says launched 'special, targeted operations' in south Lebanon
JERUSALEM: Israel's military said on Wednesday (Jul 9) its troops entered southern Lebanon as part of targeted operations to dismantle infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. "Following intelligence information and the identification of Hezbollah weapons and terrorist infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon, the soldiers launched special, targeted operations to dismantle them and prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing itself in the area," an army statement said. The military did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on whether this was the first time Israeli troops had operated on the ground in Lebanon since a November ceasefire. But the army shared a video captioned "footage from a targeted nighttime operation of the 9th Brigade in southern Lebanon", showing troops walking on the ground. AFP was unable to verify the footage, the time or location it was shot. The army statement said the 9th Brigade was in the Labbouneh area, just over the border. Troops from the 300th Brigade operated in the Jabal Blat area further west, also within sight of the frontier. Despite a November truce with Hezbollah, Israel has kept up its strikes on Lebanon, mainly saying it is targeting the group's sites and operatives but also occasionally members of their Palestinian ally Hamas. The Nov 27 ceasefire sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war that left the group severely weakened. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, about 30km from the Israeli border, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the region.
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - What will Marco Rubio's visit mean for Southeast Asia?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on his first trip to Asia, since taking up his post. What message does he bring to the region, amid Trump's hefty tariffs on both the hosts and regional partners? Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin find out from Steven Okun, CEO, APAC Advisors and former Clinton Administration official.
Independent Singapore
8 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Civil service jobs seen as ‘dumping ground'? Tech worker frustrated by Gen z peers' harsh take on public sector work
SINGAPORE: A tech worker in the public sector took to Reddit to share his frustration after a university peer dismissed his civil service job as something only 'unambitious' fresh grads would take. In a post on Reddit's r/SingaporeRaw forum, the 20-something shared that during a recent meetup, his former classmate told him he was 'selling himself short' by joining what he described as a 'retirement home' agency. 'While I do get his point, I was shocked and taken aback by his newfound ego,' the worker wrote. 'As such, I didn't talk to him much after that meetup.' He added that this wasn't the first time he had heard such views. In his Gen Z circle, many seem to view civil service roles as a 'dumping ground' for fresh grads who failed to land positions in reputable or glamorous multinational corporations. 'It's not just him, though; many of my peers who have graduated and are jobless in a bad economy straight up said that they refuse to apply for government roles, ' he said. 'Reasons cited include bureaucracy, poor pay progression (if non-scholar), and the fact that such roles are not marketable to private sector companies. I can understand the first two, but the last one—is the reputation of the public sector really that bad?' The worker said that he tries to take pride in what he does, but hearing people around him talk like that has made him 'feel worse' about his career choices. 'I am considering job hopping soon, mainly because of my contract period terms, but I won't lie that such sentiments are giving me concerns,' he said. 'Do I have a biased social circle, or are my career prospects actually cooked? Does Singapore have a low opinion of public/civil servants?' 'All jobs should be held with regard and not looked down upon.' The post drew a flood of responses from Reddit users, many of whom defended public sector work and criticised the arrogance of those who look down on it. 'Find a way to better curate your circle of friends,' one user said. 'I have many friends working in public service as teachers and social workers, and honestly, while I can't say they live a very comfortable life with high pay and an expensive home or car, they have so much passion in what they do. And that is something I haven't found and am definitely envious of!' Another commented, 'All jobs should be held with regard and not looked down upon. You've got bad friends who like to look down on people, it seems. 'It's not easy to get into the gov sector, by the way. So I'm not sure why anyone would think lowly of it, where the pay is pretty decent; it depends on your speciality. Sometimes the pay is higher than in private.' A third user who's a millennial added, 'Everyone around me thinks that being a public servant is respectable and noble because you are working for the citizens. So at least your job is meaningful. Add in the stability and benefits. It's a good position to be in.' In other news, a 32-year-old woman shared on Reddit that she is thinking of quitting her job just six months after joining because the work arrangement turned out to be very different from what was promised during the interview. In her post, she explained that when she was applying for the role, she was told it would be a hybrid position. According to the hiring manager, she would only need to be in the office three days a week, while the other two days' work could be done from home. That flexibility was a major reason why she took the job. Read more: 'I work in the office most days': Woman wants to quit 6 months into job after promised hybrid arrangement falls through Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)
