Business Insider USIn this handout image provided by the News1-Dong-A Ilbo, a North Korean soldier stands at the entrance to a tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site on May 24, 2018.Over a million North Koreans may be drinking water contaminated by nuclear material, a report says.The report also warned of the danger posed by produce sent from North Korea to Japan and China.
Over one million people live in the region, the study said, with North Koreans using groundwater for everyday uses, including as drinking water, as well as for agricultural purposes. Between 2006 and 2017, North Korea is believed to have carried out six nuclear tests at the underground site, which is located in the mountainous North Hamgyong Province.
The report called for those fleeing the affected areas for South Korea to be screened for radiation exposure, and for food export tests to be tightened. According to the report, produce from farms and fisheries in North Korea smuggled or exported to South Korea, China and Japan put those countries at risk.