[Buried Radiation Exposure] ① People Suffering from 'Gwisinbyeong' Without Knowing the Reason

From Cancer to Birth Defects... Suffering from Mysterious Diseases
Concerns over 'Groundwater Contamination' Rise Since 6th Nuclear Test
Smuggling of Specialty Products Threatens South Korea... "Government Must Verify"

Editor's NoteThe ultimate goal of North Korea, which plunges the Korean Peninsula into security anxiety, is to be recognized as a 'nuclear-armed state.' However, in this process, residents are suffering from unexplained illnesses. There are also concerns that radioactive materials from the nuclear test site could threaten the Korean Peninsula. It is the nation's responsibility to verify and prepare for this. This article highlights that the North Korean nuclear issue is not only a security matter but also a human rights issue, and explores the government's tasks.

Mr. Lee, in his 40s, who experienced all six nuclear tests, had his white blood cell count measured significantly low in several blood tests conducted while living in North Korea. Even doctors found it strange, but there was no solution. Mr. Lee said, "I wanted to go to Pyongyang, where there are larger hospitals, for treatment, but people from Kilju County were blocked from entering," adding, "I think they already knew about the radiation exposure risk."

Testimonies collected recently by Asia Economy through interviews with North Korean defectors from Kilju County, Hamgyongbuk-do, and the nonprofit organization Sand Institute consistently point to radioactive leakage around the North Korean nuclear test site. Residents commonly suffer from unexplained indigestion, cancer diagnoses, headaches, and vision deterioration. These are typical symptoms that appear first in radiation exposure. There are even testimonies of malformed babies born without reproductive organs, but residents only know this as 'ghost sickness.'

Diseases Even Doctors Cannot Diagnose... "Entry to Pyongyang Forbidden"

The nuclear test site located in Punggye-ri, Kilju County, Hamgyongbuk-do [Image source=Yonhap News]

The nuclear test site, called the 'Northern Nuclear Test Site' by North Korea, is located on Mantapsan Mountain in Punggye-ri, Kilju County, Hamgyongbuk-do. Although the mountainous terrain is rugged and it is a controlled military facility, it is actually a transportation hub. It houses intermediate and starting stations of railways including the Pyongra Line connecting Pyongyang and Rajin.This means more residents live there than we expected.

The problem is that residents in this area live without knowing what nuclear tests are or what damage radioactive material leakage can cause. Mr. Lee said, "Even doctors cannot prescribe treatment, so people just say it's 'ghost sickness.' Residents do not know how dangerous radiation is and are only told that they have nuclear weapons that can defeat the U.S., so they think it is a good thing."

Residents Drinking Groundwater with 'Radiation Exposure Concerns'... "Rapid Increase in Cancer Patients"

Confluence point of surface water around the Punggye-ri nuclear test site [Provided by Transition Justice Working Group (TJWG)]

There are also testimonies that cancer patients sharply increased around 2015. North Korea conducted the third nuclear test in February 2013 and then the fourth and fifth nuclear tests in January and September 2016, respectively. A defector in his 60s who experienced the first to third nuclear tests said, "From one day, more people started complaining of indigestion, and then every other house had a cancer diagnosis. Even when I traveled around for business, there was no town like Kilju where people lined up at pharmacies."

What is even more tragic is that residents are using groundwater, which is suspected to be contaminated with radioactive materials, as drinking water. After North Korea's sixth nuclear test in September 2017, several earthquakes and surface deformations with the ground sinking about 50 cm were confirmed. Concerns about radioactive material leaking into groundwater increased during this period. Jangheungcheon, which originates from Mantapsan where the nuclear test site is located, flows through Namdaecheon and several cities to the East Sea.

Another defector in his 60s explained, "After the tunnel was blown up in 2018, a 'spring water store' appeared in Kilju from early 2019, and there was a campaign to drink spring water. But only officials could buy it; ordinary people continued to drink tap water or groundwater." The tap water in Kilju County is drawn from Namdaecheon, and residents reportedly used water from mountain foothills or rivers without filtration.

Specialty Products from the Nuclear Test Site... Spread to Neighboring Countries through Smuggling

Songi Mushroom Producing Area around the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site [Provided by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)]

The problem does not end with groundwater. If groundwater is contaminated, agricultural and marine products cannot be trusted either. The mountain trout, a specialty product of Kilju County, has been sent to Pyongyang as 'Item No. 9' for high-ranking Central Party officials since the 1980s. However, it is said to have disappeared from the list of luxury goods after the first nuclear test in 2006. Mr. Lee said, "I have heard that the trout population dried up after the nuclear tests."

South Korea is also exposed to radiation risks due to smuggling of 'nuclear test site specialties.' A representative example is the 'Chilbosan pine mushroom,' which gained popularity domestically after the first inter-Korean summit with tariff exemptions and an 'eco-friendly' image. China and Japan banned imports after the first nuclear test, but South Korea did not. Imports were banned only after the May 24 sanctions, but smuggling through peddlers continues.

In 2015, radioactive cesium isotopes exceeding nine times the standard level (981 Bq/kg vs. 100 Bq/kg) were detected in dried Neungi mushrooms from North Korea disguised as Chinese products. These substances are produced during nuclear fission and were found in the mushrooms. Former President Moon Jae-in caused controversy by distributing 2 tons of pine mushrooms he received from Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang in 2018 as gifts to elderly separated families without radiation testing for the same reason.

"A Matter of Life... Remove Politics and Conduct Scientific Verification"

Former President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea

The North Korean human rights organization Transition Justice Working Group (TJWG) compiled the results of tracking and investigating these concerns for four years and published a special report on the 21st of last month. It pointed out the risk of radioactive materials leaking from the nuclear test site spreading through groundwater to residents and neighboring countries. Three days later, the Ministry of Unification expressed concern about the possibility of radiation leakage and announced a plan for a full investigation within the first half of the year.

However, the Ministry of Unification had already investigated 40 defectors twice in 2017 and 2018 during the Moon Jae-in administration and concluded that 'disturbing variables cannot be excluded,' ending concerns. Since there have been no specific measures since then, many are skeptical about the current full investigation plan. North Korean human rights organizations and defector communities are calling for verification with sensitivity comparable to dealing with Fukushima nuclear plant contaminated water.

Choi Kyung-hee, head of the Sand Institute, emphasized, "Concerns that radioactive materials may be leaking from the nuclear test site are directly related to the lives of not only North Korean residents but also South Korean residents," and added, "I want to ask whether improving relations with North Korea was really the priority or whether the lives and health of the people came first during the previous administration that emphasized putting people first." She continued, "I hope political perspectives are removed and scientific verification is conducted."