North Korea, Underground Nuclear Test Site

Posted: 16th February 2022

North Korea’s underground nuclear test area has been struck by a series of small earthquakes, adding to fears that detonations have permanently altered the area’s geology and raised the risk of radiation leaks. According to South Korean seismologists, at least four earthquakes have occurred over the past five days close to the Punggye-ri test site in the northern part of North Korea. The scientists said they were natural tremors rather than those caused by explosions. The latest one this morning had a magnitude of 2.5, following a pair of 2.3 magnitude tremors yesterday and one of 3.1 on Friday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). None are large enough to cause significant physical damage. However, the fact that they are occurring at all, in an area not prone to quakes, raises troubling questions.