North Korea’s REAL nuclear threat: Experts warn of ‘disaster waiting to happen’
NORTH Korea’s biggest nuclear threat would not come in the form of a missile strike but with despot Kim Jong-un’s crumbling and dangerous reactors, experts have warned in a chilling threat.
GETTY
North Korea's unsafe facilities are more of a danger to the hermit state’s enemies than its actual missiles, a North Korea watchdog warned amid fears the reactors could spark the next Chernobyl.
Washington-based North Korea observers 38 North said poor safety standards, combined with a lack of cooperation and transparency between Pyongyang and the West, made the nuclear reactors a real threat.
They issued a warning in a statement entitled “North Korean Nuclear Reactor Safety: The Threat No One is Talking About”.
38 North said: “It is extremely fortunate and perhaps surprising that a major nuclear accident has not yet occurred in North Korea.
Korean Demilitarized Zone: The world's most dangerous border
Tue, November 7, 2017Established by the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement to serve as a buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea
A South Korean tank of the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division takes part in a live-fire exercise at a training ground in Cheorwon, near the demilitarized zone (DMZ)
“It is in everyone’s interest to prevent such an accident from occurring; ensuring nuclear safety is one of the few truly universal policy imperatives."
The watchdog called for nuclear safety talks between North Korea and the West - for both sides’ benefit.
38 North said: “The opening of nuclear safety talks with the North to help prevent such an accident from occurring would provide a rare opportunity for regional dialogue and could pry open the door for realistic and productive discussions of North Korea’s nuclear program.”
READ MORE: Will North Korea attack the USA?
NC
Kim’s recklessness is certainly notable, and it hints at ... the threat of a nuclear accident in North Korea.
In July a video emerged showing Kim smoking a cigarette while a huge missile was erected beside him - a dangerous act that experts believe shows a lack of understanding of nuclear safety.
And earlier this year a tunnel collapse at a missile facility left hundreds dead and risked sending a radioactive cloud across the globe.
38 North said: “Kim’s recklessness is certainly notable, and it hints at an underemphasised and potentially devastating possibility: the threat of a nuclear accident in North Korea.
GETTY
“The ability of North Korea to safely operate its nuclear reactors, according to many experts, is increasingly being called into question given the North’s isolation and lack of safety culture.”
They said an actual incident may initially be small but the contamination could spread - with international panic made worse by Pyongyang’s secrecy.
The statement warned: “While the actual contamination would be localised, the lack of transparency from North Korea in dealing with the situation is likely to cause political panic in the region in excess of the actual radiological exposure and environmental impact.”
