The Daily NK has received confirmed reports
that there is a nuclear weapon storage facility located in the difficult to
reach hilly regions near Myohang Mountain, located in Hyangsan County, North
Pyongan Province. According to inside sources, construction on the facilities
was completed in 1980 under a direct order from Kim Il Sung, who looked to
nuclear weapons as the regime’s ultimate form of self defense.
In a telephone conversation with the Daily
NK on January 5, a source from North Pyongan said, “Kim Il Sung’s favorite
hunting grounds were located somewhere in Hyangsan County. Near the end
of the 1970s, the hunting grounds were removed, and construction began on the
underground facilities. The 2nd Brigade was mobilized to work at the Taecheon
Power Plant in North Pyongan County at that time. They were reassigned to
excavate the tunnel that would house the future nuclear storage structures.”
This news was corroborated by two other sources in the same province.
The source continued, “A small scale
nuclear power plant was built underground nearby. It produced nuclear materials
that were transported directly to the storage facility. In order to prevent the
leakage of hazardous materials, a layer of zinc (produced at Geomdeok Mine in
North Hamgyong’s Danchon City) was laid down.”
“The storage facility has been in
continuous operation from 1980 until today. It is also believed that in
addition to the nuclear materials, there may also be actual weapons located
inside the storage containers. Viewed from this angle, the regime will still
have access to nuclear weapons even if the facilities at Yongbyon are blown to
smithereens by long range missiles or aerial bombardment from foreign attacks.”
When asked why Hyangsan County was chosen
as the site for the storage facilities, he explained that Myohyang Mountain’s
various peaks provide excellent protection and concealment: for example, Bira
Summit is 1909 meters tall, Wonman Summit is 1795 meters high while Hyangno
Summit and Oson Summit top at 1599 meters and 1365, respectively.
“It would be extremely difficult for even
very advanced weapons to access and destroy the storage facility. The
geographical features of the terrain are complex with numerous high peaks. For
defensive purposes, it is ideal,” the source pointed out.
“Authorities are undertaking measures to
maintain an iron tight security perimeter around the area so that ordinary
residents cannot access the entrance to the facilities. The workers are held in
complete isolation from the outside world. Their food and other provisions in
shipped in to them using secure methods.”
He also indicated that local residents were
completely oblivious to the fact that nuclear weapons were being
stored/produced nearby, noting, “There are virtually no residents who
know the specifics about what is going on here. There is the potential for
radioactive material to leak out at any moment, but the authorities have no
policies in place to contain leaks or protect residents against the disastrous
effects of that eventuality.”
