Punggye-ri
CountryNorth Korea
Coordinates41°16′41″N 129°05′15″E / 41.27806°N 129.08750°E / 41.27806; 129.08750
StatusPartially demolished
Decommission date25 May 2018
Owner(s)North Korea
Operator(s)North Korea
External links
CommonsRelated media on Commons
🌍
Location of Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site[1]

Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site (Korean: 풍계리 핵 실험장; Hanja: 豊溪里核實驗場) was the only known nuclear test site of North Korea. Nuclear tests were conducted at the site in October 2006, May 2009, February 2013, January 2016, September 2016, and September 2017.

Geography

The site was established in the early 2000s[2] and has three visible tunnel entrances.[3] It is in mountainous terrain in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, about 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Mantapsan, 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Hwasong concentration camp and 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of the Punggye-ri village. The most proximate settlement to the possible nuclear underground test site is Chik-tong, a small populated place located at 41°15′59″N 129°05′53″E / 41.26639°N 129.09806°E / 41.26639; 129.09806.[4] Sungjibaegam is a settlement located 24 km (15 mi) from the tremor of the 2013 test.[5] Punggye-ri railway station is located at 41°07′54″N 129°09′48″E / 41.13167°N 129.16333°E / 41.13167; 129.16333.[6]

History

In January 2013, Google Maps was updated to include various locations in North Korea.[7] On 8 April 2013, it was reported that South Korea had observed activity at Punggye-ri, suggesting that a fourth nuclear test was being prepared, but the next test did not occur until January 2016.[8][9]

On 6 January 2016, North Korean state media announced a fourth nuclear test had been carried out successfully at the location using a hydrogen bomb.[10] Satellite imagery captured for monitoring website 38 North between January and April 2017 suggested that a sixth nuclear test was being prepared at the site, which was detonated on 3 September 2017.[11]

According to sources, people from the Punggye-ri nuclear test site have been banned from entering Pyongyang since the test due to the possibility of being radioactively contaminated.[12] According to the report of defectors, about 80% of trees died and all of the underground wells dried up in the site after the sixth nuclear test.[13]

On 3 and 23 September 2017, earthquakes which seem to be collapses of tunnels were detected with magnitude of 4.1 and 3.6 respectively.[14] A 17 October 2017 study published by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University suggested the most recent test had caused "substantial damage to the existing tunnel network under Mount Mantap".[15][16]

On 30 October 2017, in testimony before the South Korean parliament, the director of South Korea's Meteorological Administration warned that "further tests at Punggye-ri could cause the mountain to collapse and release radioactivity into the environment."[16] Likewise, Chinese scientists warned that if the mountain collapsed, nuclear fallout could spread across "an entire hemisphere."[16]

On 1 November 2017 Japanese TV station TV Asahi reported that according to unconfirmed reports, several tunnels collapsed at the test site on 10 October 2017.[17] An initial collapse was said to have killed 100 workers, with another 100 rescuers killed in a second collapse.[18][19]

On 20 April 2018 the North Korean government announced that it would suspend nuclear tests and shut down the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.[20]

On 14 May 2018 press reports suggested that satellite imagery showed work underway on the decommissioning of facilities at the site.[21] The leader and Supreme Commander of North Korea Kim Jong-un determined the date for the closing ceremony of Punggye-ri - 23-25 May 2018. The government of North Korea allowed a handful of international journalists (but none from South Korea) to observe the closing ceremony. Notably absent were experts or inspectors who could study the test site at close quarters.[22]

On 24 May 2018 foreign journalists reported that tunnels in the Punggye-ri nuclear test site had been destroyed by the North Korean government in a move to reduce regional tensions.[23]

However, despite the active tunnel entrances being demolished, the tunnels themselves were not destroyed and the tunnels that were never used in testing were not part of the public demolition. Additionally, the majority of the administrative and support facilities along Punggye-ri's 17-km-long complex were not demolished,[24][25] and caretaker activities have been noted as recently as 25 November 2020.[26]

David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security noted:

North Korea's action is better than a freeze and represents a disabling of the test site. However, like many disabling steps, North Korea could likely resume testing at the site after some weeks or months of work. Although the main mountain is unlikely to be usable, other nearby mountains could be used. And two of the portals (numbers 3 and 4, using North Korean nomenclature) were apparently intact and usable for further nuclear explosions prior to the dismantling steps conducted.[27]

Observers noted that the site was rehabilitated in early 2022 for possible nuclear cruise missile warhead tests later in the year.[28]: 280 [29] The United States, Korea and Japan stated on October 26, 2022, that North Korea would receive an "overwhelming, decisive" and "unparalleled" response from the three nations if testing was renewed.[30][31]

International observations

On 31 October 2018, Kim Min-ki, a lawmaker in South Korea's ruling Democratic Party, stated that now defunct Punggye-ri was among other nuclear and missile test sites which had been observed by officials from South Korea's National Intelligence Service and that it was now ready for planned international inspection.[32]

References

  1. ↑ "Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site: Possible Stand to Observe Explosive Tunnel Closure Identified". 38 NORTH. 18 May 2018. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  2. ↑ Brumfiel, Geoff; Lee, Elise (24 May 2018). "North Korea Demolishes Its Nuclear Test Site In A 'Huge Explosion'". NPR. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  3. ↑ "Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility - Facilities - NTI". NTI: Nuclear Threat Initiative. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
  4. ↑ John Pike. "Chik-tong, P'unggye-yok / Punggye-ri (Kilju / Kilchu / Kisshu / Gilju)". Archived from the original on 10 October 2006.
  5. ↑ "M5.1 – 24km ENE of Sungjibaegam, North Korea". USGS. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "P'unggye-yok, North Korea". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  7. ↑ Cavan Sieczkowski (29 January 2013). "Google Maps North Korea: Prison Camps, Nuclear Complexes Pinpointed In New Images (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Activity at North's nuke test site-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily". Koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ↑ 38 North (25 June 2013). "New Tunneling Activity at the North Korean Nuclear Test Site". 38 North. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "North Korea claims Thermonuclear Test". britainscoldwar.uk. 6 January 2016. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Davis, William J. Broad, Kenan; Patel, Jugal K. (12 April 2017). "North Korea May Be Preparing Its 6th Nuclear Test". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "Nuke Site Residents Banned from Pyongyang". Chosun Ilbo. 20 September 2017. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "North Korea's nuclear test site is 'a wasteland with deformed babies". The Telegraph. 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  14. ↑ Genin, Aaron (27 January 2019). "STAGNANT CONGRESS, ACTIVE PRESIDENT: KOREAN TALKS CONTINUE". The California Review. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  15. ↑ Byrnes, Jesse (31 October 2017). "Up to 200 killed in North Korean nuclear test site collapse: report". TheHill. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 Ryall, Julian (31 October 2017). "Collapse at North Korea nuclear test site 'leaves 200 dead'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "Fears of Radiation Leak Soar After North Korea Nuclear Site Collapse Kills 200". Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  18. ↑ "North Korea kills 200 North Koreans testing nukes". New York Post. 31 October 2017. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  19. ↑ "A tunnel collapsed at a North Korean nuclear test site, reportedly killing 200 people". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  20. ↑ Fifield, Anna (20 April 2018). "North Korea says it will suspend nuclear and missile tests, shut down test site". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Report: Buildings being dismantled at NK nuke test site". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  22. ↑ Haas, Benjamin (22 May 2018). "North Korea's nuclear test site: is blowing up Punggye-ri just for show?". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  23. ↑ "North Korea nuclear test tunnels at Punggye-ri 'destroyed'". BBC News. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  24. ↑ Jacob Bogle (3 September 2019). "Punggye-ri Nuclear Facilities Still Stand". AccessDPRK. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  25. ↑ Frank V. Pabian; Jack Liu (19 July 2019). "North Korea's Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site: No Change in Status". 38 North. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  26. ↑ Frank V. Pabian; Jack Liu (25 November 2020). "North Korea's Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site: Bridge and Roadway Repairs Noted Along Recently Flood-Damaged Roads". 38 North. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  27. ↑ David Albright (25 May 2018). "Institute Statement on the Dismantlement of Punggye-ri". Institute for Science and International Security. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  28. ↑ Kristensen, Hans M.; Korda, Matt (2022), "North Korean nuclear weapons, 2022", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 78 (5): 273–294, Bibcode:2022BuAtS..78e.273K, doi:10.1080/00963402.2022.2109341, S2CID 252132124, In early 2022, after an extended period of inactivity, North Korea began to reconstitute the Punggye-ri site. Satellite images collected between March and June 2022 revealed the construction of new buildings and renovation of older ones; movement of lumber, equipment, and personnel; new excavation activity; and the creation of a new portal into the mountain test site. This substantial new construction effort suggests that North Korea may be preparing for another underground nuclear test, and both US and South Korean officials have stated that they expect a seventh test to be conducted soon (published online September 7, 2022)
  29. ↑ Christy Lee (25 October 2022). "Experts: North Korea's Expected Nuclear Missile Test Likely to Involve Miniature Warheads". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  30. ↑ Mari Yamaguchi; Haruka Nuga (26 October 2022). "US, allies warn decisive response if North Korea tests nuke". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022 – via Yahoo! News.
  31. ↑ Leo Lewis (26 October 2022). "Allies warn North Korea against seventh nuclear test: US, South Korea and Japan threaten 'unparalleled' response". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.(subscription required)
  32. ↑ "North Korea is reportedly preparing nuclear and missile sites for international inspectors". Reuters. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019 – via CNBC.
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