Analysts have raised concerns about untreated radioactive wastewater from a uranium refining plant in Pyongsan County, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, potentially flowing into the Yellow Sea via local waterways.
Dr. Jung Sung Hak, a remote sensing expert of the Korean Academy of Space Security, recently presented this analysis through DailyNK, based on satellite imagery from ESRI’s WorldView-3.
According to Dr. Jung, satellite images from late October last year captured wastewater being discharged from the Pyongsan uranium plant’s sedimentation pond into a small stream through a drainage system. The wastewater reportedly traveled about 2 kilometers (about 1.24 miles) along the stream before merging with the Ryesong River, potentially making its way to the Yellow Sea via Ganghwa Bay.
Previously, North Korea channeled waste through pipelines to a large 34-hectare reservoir near the plant for settling and treatment. However, years of nuclear material processing have resulted in the accumulation of solid waste, forming a black sludge. It’s believed that as the sedimentation pond reached capacity, North Korea began releasing wastewater directly into the river.
The sludge area within the sedimentation pond has expanded significantly, from 1.9 hectares in January 2006 to 7.5 hectares in 2018, and is projected to reach 16.6 hectares by October 2024. This represents an 8.7-fold increase over an 18-year period. Satellite imagery clearly shows the expanding and darkening stains on the pond’s surface.
Similar concerns about North Korean wastewater discharge arose in 2019. At that time, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification analyzed water samples from the Hangang River and Yellow Sea, reporting no unusual findings and stating that no high-radioactivity materials were present at the Pyongsan uranium refining plant.
However, Dr. Jung emphasized that while past evidence suggested waste leakage into the Ryesong River due to aging pipelines, current satellite imagery indicates that North Korea is deliberately discharging wastewater from a sedimentation pond into the river, urging thorough verification.