Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: More than 70 martyrs in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn.
Death toll from latest Israeli strikes on Gaza rises to 30
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Five killed in the Israeli bombing of a civilian vehicle on Al-Qassam Street in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip
Hamas confirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two civilians were killed and four others, including a child and an infant, were injured in an Israeli bombing of a house belonging to the Al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli airstrike targets the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City
Al-Qassam: We will postpone the handover of the body of the Israeli captive we found, which was scheduled for today, due to the occupation's violations
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Israeli occupation aircraft launch airstrikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
Netanyahu's office: At the end of the security consultations, the prime minister instructed the military to launch massive military strikes on the Gaza Strip immediately
President Aoun: We urge the activation of the monitoring committee, the cessation of hostilities, ongoing Israeli violations, attacks

As DPRK rights warship, balloons use draws global attention: WSJ

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Wall Street Journal
  • 8 Jun 2025 00:01
3 Min Read

The DPRK has successfully righted its capsized Choe Hyon-class warship using cranes and an unconventional array of large balloons.

Listen
  • x
  • A pair of intraday collects (via planet/umbraspace  ) shows the continuation of our DPRK soap opera. (@CSBiggers)
    A pair of intraday collects (via planet/umbraspace) shows the Choi Hyon-class afloat (@CSBiggers)

The DPRK announced Friday that its capsized warship has been stabilized and brought upright, though questions continue to swirl over an unusual detail of the recovery effort: the presence of dozens of large balloons hovering near the vessel.

Satellite images captured in recent days show the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class destroyer surrounded by roughly 40 sizable balloons near the Chongjin shipyard. The vessel had capsized during a side-launch on May 21, an event attended by leader Kim Jong Un. The incident reportedly left Kim furious, with DPRK state media later calling it an "unpardonable crime". Four officials, including the shipyard's chief engineer, were arrested in its aftermath.

While cranes and winches were used to right the ship, the role of the balloons has intrigued analysts and foreign militaries alike. Maritime experts suggest the balloons may have served as supplementary flotation devices, aided in lifting objects off the destroyer, or obstructed satellite and drone views of the operation.

"It's all a mystery," said Decker Eveleth, a weapons analyst at the Virginia-based think tank CNA, who analyzed recent satellite images. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Eveleth said he identified about 40 balloons, each about 20 feet in diameter, and noted that such use of balloons in warship recovery lacks a clear modern precedent.

Maritime ingenuity

Related News

Trump's Asia tour targets trade deals with South Korea, China

Putin to DPRK FM: tell Kim our plans are on track

The DPRK's side-launch approach, used during the warship's deployment, reflects the country's innovative maritime strategy, a method that reduces dependency on foreign-style infrastructure.

Though the procedure caused the vessel to capsize, the nation's leadership swiftly mobilized top technicians to address the issue. Kim Jong Un called for the ship to be fully restored by the end of the month, reflecting the country's determination and discipline.

While foreign militaries, including South Korea's, admitted they could not determine the exact purpose of the balloons, Western naval experts like Nick Childs of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told WSJ that the DPRK is "recovering it in unconventional ways," hinting at the nation's flexible and resourceful approach to technological challenges.

Read more: DPRK reshuffles top military officials following warship launch flop

Naval revival

The warship is currently at the Chongjin shipyard and will soon be moved to a dry dock in Rajin for final repairs. State media reports indicate the remaining restoration work will take approximately seven to ten days.

The Choe Hyon-class vessel is a central part of the DPRK's broader plan to modernize its defense capabilities, moving beyond Soviet-era designs to develop a fleet suited for 21st-century security dynamics. While the US and its allies attempt to portray the DPRK's maritime development in negative terms, the successful recovery effort demonstrates the country's growing self-reliance and technological progress.

Though foreign commentators have attempted to frame the balloon usage as peculiar, it is worth remembering that military balloons have a long and effective history, from World War-era barrage balloons to modern-day surveillance systems used even by powers like Russia, with many seeing the DPRK's methods as not signs of backwardness but of innovation under constraint.

  • DPRK
  • Democratic People's Republic of Korea
  • Kim Jong Un
  • North Korea

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and Egyptian workers search for the bodies of hostages in a tunnel discovered during searches in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' obstructing Gaza body recovery, creating false claims: Hamas

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawwaf Salam talks to US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Lebanon, October 28, 2025 (NNA)
Politics

Salam conveys to Ortagus goals behind any possible negotiations

Writers boycott NYT, demand justice as Gaza media ban faces court
Politics

300+ writers boycott NYT Opinion, cite persistent anti-Palestine bias

Settlers attack West Bank olive harvesters, Injure 3 Palestinians
Politics

Settlers attack West Bank olive harvesters, injure 3 Palestinians

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS