North Korea has successfully refloated a new destroyer that capsized upon launch last month, with state media reporting the damaged vessel will be moved to a dry dock in a different shipyard for repairs.

North Korea says it righted a capsized destroyer and moored it at a pier in the northeastern port of Chongjin as it continues to repair a new warship leader Kim Jong Un has described as a significant asset for his nuclear-armed military.

The original launch failure of the destroyer was an embarrassment for leader Kim Jong Un, who oversaw the incident.