The government will conduct an investigation to confirm concerns that the West Sea could be contaminated by wastewater from a uranium refining plant in Pyongsan, North Hwanghae Province.
The Ministry of Unification noted that on the 3rd, it will hold a meeting with the Nuclear Safety And Security Commission, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Environment, and plans to conduct a "joint special investigation by relevant ministries" on the 4th.
The government plans to investigate uranium, cesium, and heavy metal contamination at 10 points (sampling locations), including Ganghwa Island, closest to the mouth of the Yesong River, and the mouth of the Han River. The results of the investigation will be made public after an analysis process of about two weeks.
When similar concerns were raised in 2019, the Nuclear Safety And Security Commission only investigated uranium at six points, but this time the number of participating agencies, investigation points, and target contaminants has been expanded.
In the previous investigation, the amount of uranium detected was at a level naturally occurring, and no significant contamination was confirmed.
The government plans to establish a regular monitoring system that includes monthly investigations of contamination for the time being, as well as operate a consultative body of relevant ministries.
Previously, the North Korea-focused media outlet Daily NK introduced claims by experts that radioactive contaminated wastewater from the uranium plant in Pyongsan had flowed into the West Sea along the Yesong River based on satellite photo analysis.