Thousands in China, Japan at radiation risk from North Korea’s nuclear tests

New Delhi: A study claims that radioactive material from North Korea’s nuclear weapon tests could be harmful not just to eight cities and counties near the site but places in neigbouring South Korea, Japan and China.

The Transitional Justice Working Group, the Seoul-based human rights forum, said on Tuesday that radioactive material could have spread across places  where more than 1 million North Koreans live, Reuters reported.

North Korea covertly conducted nuclear six tests at the Punggye-ri site in the mountainous North Hamgyong Province between 2006 and 2017, according to US and South Korea.

The study suggest that radioactive material could be spread to areas where ground water is sourced for daily use including drinking.

The report suggests that agriculture and fisheries products smuggled out from North Korea could put at risk South Korea, China and Japan.

The groups formed in 2014 used open source intelligence and other government and UN reports.

Hubert Young-hwan Lee, the group's chief and a co-author, said that the report is significant as the tests could threaten life and health of not only the North Koreans but those in neighbouring countries.

In 2015 South Korea’s food safety agency found ‘ nine times the standard levels of radioactive cesium isotopes’ in hedgehog mushrooms sold in South as Chinese product but in actuality it was of North Korean origin, according to Reuters.

China and Japan increased radiation monitoring after concerns over ‘potential exposure’ to North’s previous nuclear tests.

However, North Korea brushed aside warnings by experts about health risks from contaminated water, saying that there were no leaks of harmful materials following nuclear tests.

The rights group urged for an international enquiry into the radiation risks from nuclear tests for communities around the site in Punggye-ri.