Satellite images show North Korea manually righting capsized destroyer - ship capsized in presence of Kim Jong Un

North Korea has managed to right a Choe Hyon-class destroyer that partially capsized during a botched launching ceremony.

This is according to new satellite images published by the 38 North analytical project.

The photos taken on June 2 show the ship standing upright, although its bow is still on land. The destroyer's stern shows the markings of a helipad. Earlier, on May 29, images showed workers at the pier manually pulling the ship by the cables, trying to right it. Apparently, the mechanized launching system failed, and they tried to save the situation by physical force.

"At least 30 barrier balloons were deployed on only one side of the ship. At first, their role seemed unclear, but later it became clear that they helped to return the destroyer to an upright position," analysts note.

The cause of the accident was likely a failure in the side launching mechanism: due to the blocking of the bow, only the stern went into the water, which caused the ship to partially capsize.

The images also show possible damage to the bow area, where the sonar is located. According to 38 North, for a full repair, the ship will have to be pulled to a dry dock or floating dock. However, the shipyard in Chongjin does not have the appropriate equipment. As of early June, the destroyer is in an upright position, but its front part still rests on the launching mechanism - which probably indicates plans to repair the bow without removing the ship from the water.

As a reminder, in the second half of May, North Korea's newest military destroyer sank right during a launching ceremony. The incident occurred on May 21 at a shipyard in the city of Chongjin in the northeast of the country, in the presence of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.