Mapping the risk and effect of radioactive contamination of groundwater sources from the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea

책 소개

North Korea's rulers have sought to maximize international interest in its nuclear capabilities while avoiding attention on its human rights issues. There is in fact a tendency to view the North Korean nuclear issue solely from the security perspective. Governments and research institutes around the world have been focusing on monitoring and analyzing the type, scale, evidence and signs of resumption of nuclear tests. By contrast, there has been little interest in human rights violations such as forcible transfer of population and forced labor for nuclear tests or threats to human security caused by soil or water resource contamination. A few media outlets reported stories of North Korean escapees who had lived in the areas near the nuclear test site, but interest did not last. Six nuclear tests have made Punggye-ri and Mt. Mantap internationally famous. However, there has been a dearth of studies on how many people live near the site of repeated tests of increasing magnitude, what they eat and drink and how their health is affected. Nevertheless, mapping the possible range of leakage and dissemination of radioactive materials through water including groundwater points to a considerably large area and population at risk. The populations in neighboring countries such as South Korea, China and Japan have also been exposed to the danger. It is the responsibility of the respective governments to find out and inform the public about where North Korea’s nationally advertised specialties like “Mt. Chilbo pine mushrooms” are grown and how they are consumed across borders and seas to raise awareness. While the countries concerned have not been unaware of this danger, there have been insufficient efforts to grasp the issue or to take measures against it. South Korea is the country best suited to conduct the most realistic and meaningful epidemiological investigation provided it has the political will. This is because nearly 900 North Korean escapees who had lived in the areas near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site from the first nuclear test in 2006 to 2019 have entered South Korea as of 2022.But South Korea’s Ministry of Unification conducted radiation exposure tests for only 30 escapees in 2017 and 10 escapees in 2018 and, even after the test results showing worrying levels of chromosomal abnormalities among 9 of them (22.5 percent) were revealed, was busy downplaying their significance. The Moon Jae-in administration (2017-2022) avoided publicizing issues expected to cause a backlash from North Korea. Since 2019, TJWG has been gauging the interests of diplomats and journalists at home and abroad. The diplomats expressed interest and pointed out that, despite the need to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue along with the North Korean human rights issue, it has been difficult to find concrete links thus far. The journalists stated that there are limits to reporting based on rumors or interviews with a few North Korean escapees. TJWG continued to collect information and data while waiting for an opportune moment to capture broad attention. From March 2022, the news of impending resumption of nuclear tests brought about a renewed interest. With the end of Seoul’s appeasement of North Korea following the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol government in May 2022, an environment conducive to the disclosure of relevant information emerged. Therefore, TJWG decided to gather and organize information to publish a visual report explaining the issue in an easy-to-understand manner. The purpose of this report is fivefold. First, it sets out to clarify the indivisibility of the North Korean nuclear issue and the North Korean human rights issue. Second, it aims to inform the North Korean people about the risk of harm caused by repeated nuclear tests through various means and channels. Third, there is a need to raise awareness about the health risks posed to the South Korean, Chinese and Japanese people by the smuggling and distribution of a…

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