A new survey released by South Korea’s Ministry of Unification on July 31 found that about 30 percent of North Korean defectors from areas near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site had chromosomal abnormalities. Researchers said the abnormalities may be linked to prolonged exposure to nuclear radiation.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the ministry submitted its 2025 report on radiation exposure among North Korean defectors to the National Assembly on July 31. The study examined 59 defectors who had lived in eight cities and counties surrounding the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, before fleeing to South Korea following North Korea’s first nuclear test on October 9, 2006.
The results showed that 26 of the 59 participants had stable chromosomal abnormality levels above the minimum threshold considered normal. The test is primarily used to assess a person’s cumulative lifetime radiation exposure, meaning the abnormal findings may be associated with radiation released by nuclear testing. However, none of the participants has been diagnosed with a cancer known to be related to radiation exposure.
The survey has been conducted annually for five years. During that period, 214 North Korean defectors underwent testing, and 64—29.9 percent, or roughly three in 10—showed chromosomal abnormalities that researchers said could be associated with radiation exposure.
Because researchers cannot enter North Korea or collect water and environmental samples near Punggye-ri, they have not been able to establish a direct causal link between the chromosomal abnormalities and nuclear radiation.
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