OREANDA-NEWS  The huge number of balloons found in the photo around the Choe Hyun-class destroyer of the DPRK Navy that capsized on May 21 has puzzled Western analysts. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) writes about this.

"It's all a mystery," the newspaper quoted marine expert Decker Evelith as saying. He pointed out that such a situation in itself has no international precedents.

In particular, experts first suggested that they could be used in this way, allegedly to raise the ship. However, they later refuted this hypothesis, as they pointed to the active use of cranes, which played a major role in stabilizing the position of the ship. Now they believe that the balloons were used to hide the destroyer from satellite photos, or to keep it in balance.

Earlier, NBC News reported that North Korea had lifted and balanced the capsized Choi Hyun-class destroyer, which partially sank during the launching ceremony. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un witnessed how the new destroyer did not launch properly during the ceremony. The ceremony took place on May 21 in Chongjin. He called the incident an unacceptable serious accident and a crime, and also demanded that the ship be restored before the June plenum of the Central Committee of the Party.