Punggye-ri (proving ground)

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Coordinates: 41 ° 16 ′ 50 ″  N , 129 ° 5 ′ 9 ″  E

Relief Map: North Korea
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Punggye-ri (proving ground)​
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North Korea
Punggye ri Proving Grounds (2013)
Location of the test site on the Korean peninsula
Nuclear test magnitudes

The Punggye-ri test site ( Korean 풍계리 핵 실험 장 ) was a military facility near Punggye-ri in Hamgyŏng-pukto Province in North Korea , which was used for nuclear weapon tests . On May 24, 2018, the disused facilities were blown up, with which North Korea wanted to demonstrate in a symbolic step its will to disarm .

geography

The test site is located in the mountainous northeast of North Korea at an altitude of over 1,500  m and is located about 24 kilometers west of the Hwasŏng internment camp , near the village of the same name, Punggye-ri, and about 12 km northwest of Chik-tong . Google Maps has been updated since January 2013 , and the location of the test site with an access road has been made visible.

Experts from the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) in the USA , which specializes in nuclear weapons, assume that the six tests in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016 and 2017 took place there. What is happening on the site can only be determined by reconnaissance satellites . Recordings evaluated by analysts on the North Korea website 38north.org and ISIS show that there are three tunnel entrances in Punggye-ri: the west, east and south portal. In the middle of the portals is a bunker, protected by an embankment.

chronology

The first test in 2006 is said to have taken place in the east, that of 2009 in the west. The experts couldn't tell where the bomb was detonated in 2013. On April 8, 2013, South Korea observed activity at Punggye-ri, indicating that a fourth underground test was being prepared. It was later concluded that the tunnel activities were intended for a long-term project and that no nuclear test would take place anytime soon.

On January 6, 2016, North Korean state media announced that they had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb at the site. On September 9, 2016, North Korea reported another nuclear test . The test took place on September 9, 2016 at 00:30:01 UTC . The effects were measurable as far as Europe and had a magnitude of 5.3 on the sky wave magnitude scale .

As early as October 13, 2017, there were reports in which scientists warned against further tests on the site, as previous tests may have made the rock mass unstable. At the end of October 2017, a tunnel under the test site is said to have partially collapsed and, according to North Korean media reports, at least 200 people were buried or killed. It is unclear whether these numbers were embellished by the North Korean media and what caused the collapse.

The nuclear test in North Korea on September 3, 2017 was the sixth in the history of the test site before it was decommissioned in spring 2018 and essential facilities were blown up on May 24, 2018.

Web links

Commons : Punggye-ri (proving ground)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Press report Nordbayern.de from May 24th
  2. ^ Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility. In: www.nti.org. May 26, 2015, accessed September 9, 2016 .
  3. ^ Punggye-ri. In: Google Maps. Retrieved September 9, 2016 .
  4. ^ Cavan Sieczkowski Senior Editor, Content Strategy: LOOK: Google Unveils Detailed Maps Of North Korea. In: The Huffington Post. January 29, 2013, accessed September 9, 2016 .
  5. ^ Korean Peninsula: Reports with Imagery . isis-online.org, accessed on September 10, 2016 (English).
  6. ^ New Activity Near All Three Portals at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site . 38north.org, accessed September 10, 2016.
  7. ^ Post-Test Analysis of Punggye-Ri: What a Difference a Few Days Make. In: 38north.org. February 20, 2013, accessed September 9, 2016 .
  8. ^ Post-Test Analysis of Punggye-Ri: What a Difference a Few Days Make. In: 38north.org. February 20, 2013, accessed September 9, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Earthquake: North Korea's state media confirm "successful" atomic bomb test. In: SPIEGEL ONLINE. September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016 .
  10. ↑ Nuclear test in North Korea: earthquake waves prove violent detonation. In: SPIEGEL ONLINE. September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016 .
  11. ↑ M5.3 Explosion - 19 km ENE of Sungjibaegam, North Korea. In: earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved September 9, 2016 .
  12. ↑ After nuclear tests in Punggye-ri North Korea's test site is said to be unstable. n-tv.de, October 13, 2017, accessed on October 13, 2017 (German).
  13. ↑ Day 24: Tunnel under the nuclear test site collapses: Up to 200 dead. Day 24, October 13, 2017, accessed on October 13, 2017 (German).
  14. ↑ North Korea's nuclear test site 'leaking radiation' thetimes.co.uk, October 3, 2019