North Korea's nuclear test site has collapsed ... and that may be why Kim Jong-un suspended tests
The mountain's collapse after a fifth blast last fall has led to the creation of a massive 'chimney' that could leak radioactive fallout into the air, researchers have found
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 25 April, 2018, 2:51pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 26 April, 2018, 2:30am
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplo...hy-kim-jong-un
North Korea's mountain nuclear test site has collapsed, putting China and other nearby nations at unprecedented risk of radioactive exposure, two separate groups of Chinese scientists studying the issue have confirmed.
The collapse after five nuclear blasts may be why North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared on Friday that he would freeze the hermit state's nuclear and missile tests and shut down the site, one researcher said.
The last five of Pyongyang's six nuclear tests have all been carried out under Mount Mantap at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea's northwest.
One group of researchers found that the most recent blast
tore open a hole in the mountain, which then collapsed upon itself. A second group concluded that the breakdown created a "chimney" that could allow radioactive fallout from the blast zone below to rise into the air. ....
...Speculation grew that North Korea's site was in trouble when Lee Doh-sik, the top North Korean geologist, visited Zhao's institute about
two weeks after the test and met privately with senior Chinese government geologists.
Although the purpose of Lee's visit was not disclosed,
two days later Pyongyang announced it would no longer conduct land-based nuclear tests....
...The mountain's collapse has likely dealt a huge blow to North Korea's nuclear programme, Hu said.
Hit by crippling international economic sanctions over its nuclear ambitions, the country might lack sufficient resources to soon resume testing at a new site, he said.
North Korea told its people Kim Jong-un visited China, but didn't mention denuclearisation
"But there are other sites suitable for testing," Hu said. "They must be closely monitored." ....