The late May sun beat down on the North Korean coast, illuminating the grim reality beneath the waves. The capsized destroyer, once a symbol of the nation’s naval ambitions, lay silently on the ocean floor. Its steering system, irrevocably flooded and corroded, was beyond repair. The grand plans for its deployment had dissolved into a saline grave, and soon, it would be salvaged for scrap, a testament to a calamitous launch.
Yet, in the heavily guarded port, a different narrative was meticulously constructed. Orders had come directly from the top: a new destroyer would be launched, and Chairman Kim Jong Un would preside. Panic, however, rippled through the ranks of naval engineers and party officials. With the true destroyer a sunken wreck, an elaborate deception was hatched. A weathered cargo ship, its utilitarian lines disguised beneath a hurried coat of fresh grey paint, became the stand-in. Crude, oversized missile tubes were affixed to its deck, their tips pointing defiantly towards the sky, hollow threats against perceived adversaries.
Thursday arrived, ablaze with orchestrated fanfare. The air crackled with manufactured excitement as Kim Jong Un, resplendent in his signature dark suit, was ushered aboard the disguised vessel. He strode across the painted deck, his gaze sweeping over the ersatz weaponry. To him, this was the pinnacle of North Korean ingenuity, a potent symbol of his nation’s resolve against “U.S.-led hostilities.” He delivered a fiery speech, his voice booming across the assembled troops, reaffirming his unyielding commitment to bolster the navy. He saw not a converted freighter but a gleaming warship, a testament to his vision and the unwavering loyalty of his people. And in his ignorance, he was content.
All names of people and organizations appearing in this story are pseudonyms
North Korea says repaired destroyer has launched, a claim met with outside skepticism
Comments