[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Juhee] There are reports that the Kuryong River in Yongbyon, North Korea, overflowed due to flooding, potentially damaging nearby nuclear facilities.
On the 12th (local time), the U.S.-based North Korea specialist media 38 North stated in a report, "Commercial satellite images taken on the 6th show that the water level of the Kuryong River has risen sharply compared to the photos from the 22nd of last month. It appears there was significant flooding," adding, "It is probably the worst level in recent years."
It continued, "Although North Korean authorities have been repairing the embankments of the Kuryong River in preparation for floods, it seems they were unable to prevent this year's flooding," and "Satellite images also captured scenes of a dam crossing the Kuryong River being submerged."
The media mentioned that the flooding of the Kuryong River may have damaged the power grid and cooling water supply pipelines of nuclear facilities, referring to a 5-megawatt (MW) reactor and an Experimental Light Water Reactor (ELWR).
The report analyzed, "The 5MW reactor appears to have been out of operation for quite some time, and the ELWR also seems not to be operational yet."
However, it added, "Satellite images taken between the 8th and 11th show that the swollen river water has receded at the Yongbyon nuclear facility," and "Important facilities such as the uranium enrichment plant may not have suffered flood damage."
It has been reported that North Korea has been experiencing flood damage across the entire region due to record heavy rains since the beginning of this month.
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