[Buried Exposure]③ "North Korean Nuclear Issue, Human Rights... International Community's Pressure Card"

'First to Raise the Issue' Dr. Choi Kyung-hee, a Defector from North Korea
Transition Justice Working Group, 4 Years of Radiation Exposure Tracking
"Must Disclose Test Results and Lead International Cooperation"

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 North Korea's nuclear issue is not only a security matter but also a human rights issue, and explores the government's tasks.

Amid efforts to verify radiation exposure concerns caused by North Korea's nuclear tests, calls are emerging to expand awareness of the North Korean nuclear threat from security to the realm of human rights. Especially with the Ministry of Unification preparing to resume exposure investigations, voices urge that transparency in verification must be guaranteed, and based on the inspection results, the international community should actively pressure North Korea.

Choi Kyung-hee: "If There Is Doubt, It Is the Government's Role to Clarify"

Choi Hee-kyung, CEO of the Sand (SAND) Research Institute, a unified academic research organization, is discussing concerns about radiation exposure among residents near the North Korean nuclear test site at the office in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

The concern that radioactive materials could have leaked from the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, was first raised not by the government but by the private sector. Choi Kyung-hee, the first North Korean defector to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo and founder of the Sand Research Institute in South Korea, noticed that people from Kilju County were complaining of abnormal symptoms and conducted in-depth investigations on 23 individuals. As a result, she found common symptoms such as unexplained headaches, weight loss, sensory function decline, and lethargy. These were typical symptoms of radiation exposure.

In a recent meeting at the Sand Research Institute office located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Choi Kyung-hee said, "What surprised me most while investigating the problems faced by people from Kilju County was that while the international community expressed concern over North Korea's nuclear tests, there was no proper issue raised regarding the residents' right to life."

She repeatedly emphasized that verifying concerns about radioactive material leakage is essential for the safety of not only North Korea but also South Korean residents, that is, the entire Korean Peninsula. Choi said, "It is said that if radioactive materials leak, they remain in the area for tens of thousands of years. At first glance, it may seem that only residents in the North are at risk, but if we do not recognize and prepare for this issue now, even if unification occurs, there will be problems regarding how to approach this area."

She expressed regret over the previous government's lukewarm response and urged the Yoon Seok-yeol administration to take a more proactive stance. She said, "Unless the state takes the lead, there are limits to uncovering the problem on an individual level. The problem is that despite sufficient concerns, it is viewed through a political frame. Issues that can be scientifically verified should not be accepted based on political criteria," she stressed.

"Closed Ministry of Unification, If There Is Will, Disclose Transparently"

From the left, Lee Young-hwan, CEO of the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), Shin Hee-seok, Legal Analyst, Park Song-ah, Researcher, and Suhena Mehra, Researcher. The Transitional Justice Working Group published a special report last month on the 21st, containing the results of a four-year investigation into concerns about radioactive material leakage at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
[Photo by Transitional Justice Working Group]

The government's recent announcement to conduct a full survey of North Korean defectors from Kilju County was largely due to the role of the transitional justice human rights organization, the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG). During the four years of the Moon Jae-in administration, which denied radiation exposure concerns, TJWG tracked the possibility of radioactive material leakage from the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and published a 67-page special report on the 21st of last month. Just three days after this, the Ministry of Unification announced its plan for a full survey.

While this is a meaningful achievement for a human rights organization, it is not being welcomed unconditionally. As Choi Kyung-hee pointed out, there is concern that human rights issues, which fall under 'universal values,' might be judged differently or politically exploited depending on the administration's stance. Lee Young-hwan, head of the Transitional Justice Working Group, criticized the Ministry of Unification's closed nature and secrecy, urging transparent and open verification.

Lee said, "The Ministry of Unification's attitude toward radiation exposure concerns does not seem different from Soviet officials who were desperate to hide the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion and radioactive material leakage. The Ministry tends to showcase its presence by opening exchanges with North Korea whenever a president sympathetic to the North Korean regime is in power. Because of this, it has often avoided elements that might irritate the Ministry specifically in Pyongyang," he directly criticized.

Therefore, transparency and openness are key in the upcoming inspections to be resumed in the first half of the year. He said, "The Ministry of Unification admitted during the Moon Jae-in administration that previous inspections lacked a control group, so the prior inspections were fundamentally inadequate. I question whether the current full inspection plan is just to put out a fire or if Minister Kwon Young-se is genuinely interested," he criticized. He added, "If the Ministry of Unification has the will to verify and prepare for concerns, it should handle not only transparent and open inspections but also follow-up measures such as medical support for defectors and joint investigations into North Korea. In this process, the opinions of NGOs that raised the issue before the government must also be reflected," he emphasized.

"It Was International Protests That Exposed Chernobyl... North Korea Must Be Pressured"

The Transitional Justice Working Group attended a seminar hosted by the research foundation "Forum for Reforms, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability (FORES)" in Stockholm, Sweden, on the 24th of last month (local time). They introduced a special report analyzing concerns about the leakage of radioactive materials from the Punggye-ri nuclear test site to Swedish government officials, diplomats, and researchers from various countries. From the left, Heesuk Shin, Legal Analyst, and Younghwan Lee, CEO.
[Photo by Transitional Justice Working Group]

Another key figure of the Transitional Justice Working Group is Shin Hee-seok, a legal analyst. A Harvard Law School graduate, he is responsible for diplomacy, human rights, and international law. Right after publishing the special report, he flew with Lee Young-hwan to Stockholm, Sweden, where they introduced the dangers of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site to Swedish government officials, diplomats from various countries, and researchers.

Regarding why the seminar was prepared in Stockholm rather than Korea, Analyst Shin explained, "When the Chernobyl disaster occurred, it was the strong protests and demands for explanations from neighboring countries that countered the Soviet Union's attempts to conceal and keep secrecy, leading to the truth being revealed. At that time, the Swedish government also backtracked the atmospheric conditions and directions to estimate that the radioactive materials came from the Soviet Union, enabling the process of uncovering the truth."

The Transitional Justice Working Group simultaneously released the report internationally and visited Sweden and Norway to conduct private briefings at over 20 government, parliamentary, research institutions, and international human rights organizations. Analyst Shin said, "After completing the private schedule, we held a seminar in Stockholm, where there was strong sympathy and support for the need for an international fact-finding investigation. International research institution officials were shocked by the dangers of the nuclear test site and were appalled that the Moon Jae-in government, which promoted peace slogans, tried to hide this issue," he said.

He proposed a 'method for civilian participation and monitoring' to the Ministry of Unification, which is preparing to resume inspections. This is to ensure systematic public research, analysis, and publication by the scientific and medical communities, thereby pressuring North Korea so it cannot evade the issue. Analyst Shin urged, "I call for a meeting to promptly establish a plan. To move toward international cooperation, including the formation of an international fact-finding committee, the Ministry of Unification should disclose detailed progress to domestic and foreign media and the international community as soon as the full inspection results are available," he reiterated.