Overview
- North Korea relaunched its 5,000-ton guided-missile destroyer on June 12 after Kim Jong-un demanded its swift restoration.
- The vessel’s May 21 launch ended with the warship capsizing in the water and drew Kim’s ire for tarnishing national pride.
- Navy Commander Admiral Kim Myong Sil and shipyard chief Hong Kil Ho were among at least four officials arrested after the failure and did not appear at the relaunch ceremony.
- Experts say airbrushing senior officers from state photographs is a hallmark of North Korean purges and often presages execution.
- The destroyer, equipped to carry nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, underscores Pyongyang’s push to bolster its naval strike capabilities.