North Korea is busy developing Nuclear Weapons and is using its underground test facility located in the mountains of Punggye-ri in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province. However, while Kim Jong-un has managed to conduct the tests in secret, it has had an adverse effect on the local population as well as on the environment in the neighborhood.

There has been an increase in the number of births of deformed babies, and the surroundings have taken the shape of a vast wasteland with greenery almost absent. A group of defectors has revealed that many of the springs have dried up, and a large number of trees have withered.

These can be attributed to the result of nuclear radiation which has disturbed the ecological balance.

The signs are frightening

Daily Mail UK reports that North Korea conducted the testing of its sixth nuclear bomb in early September which led to landslides in the mountains. Subsequently, one of the tunnels collapsed killing at least 200.

It seems the authorities do not keep the locals informed about the testing of nuclear weapons which leads to health hazards like radioactive contamination. There have been instances of the birth of deformed babies in Kilju near the nuclear test site, and several underground wells have dried up.

Other abnormalities observed by the defectors are the disappearance of some varieties of mushrooms like the trout and pine.

These have occurred from 2006 when the first underground test was conducted. In the opinion of experts, such tests could lead to severe damages to the mountain and, leakage of the harmful radiation into the atmosphere affecting the local population. Punggye-ri is located close to the border with China which is an ally of Pyongyang.

Consequences could be severe

Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, should realize the dangers of the underground nuclear tests, and the harmful effects it is having on his own people as well as the environment. He wants to develop nuclear weapons and fulfill his ambitions to nuke the US. However, in the process, he is harming his own country because the radiation will result in health hazards like the births of deformed babies, and destruction of the environment.

North Korea has certainly made progress in the development of nuclear technology. Kim has continued to pursue his agenda in spite of global sanctions. His country has conducted a total of six nuclear tests up to now, and he was directly associated with four of them.

Kim Jong-un has sent his missiles flying over Japan, he has identified a few probable American targets, and has threatened to detonate an EMP (Electromagnetic pulse) that could devastate the United States. He has already proved his point, and should now come to the table to resolve his issues.