on Thursday, a beaming Kim – wearing a wide straw hat and accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae – praised the successful restoration at the launch ceremony that was celebrated with much pomp and glory, saying “truly great lessons” had been learnt in the process, according to KCNA.
The rushed ‘restoration’ and relaunch underscores Kim’s determination to project naval strength despite technical setbacks, as he pushes to expand maritime capabilities that could “be fully projected in any necessary waters without limitation,” as he had warned earlier this year.
Kim said a plan to build two additional 5,000-ton destroyers next year had been recently approved, signaling North Korea’s continued focus on strengthening its naval power.
North Korea defied skeptics about its ability to salvage the Kang Kon after the initial botched launch, but within two weeks, satellite imagery showed it had been righted and then towed for repairs at Rajin, which lies in the northeastern part of the country, near the Russian and Chinese borders.
On Friday, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, which manages inter-Korean relations, said no visible defects were seen in the destroyer’s appearance but added that continued monitoring is needed to determine whether it is functioning normally.
“Attention is being paid to whether a live-fire test of the ship’s weapons will be conducted immediately after the launch ceremony to assert that the destroyer is still in good condition,” the South Korean ministry said.
“If major equipment is submerged or damaged, it may take a long time to restore to its original condition,” it added.
