Residents in a Chinese city near the North Korean border said they have no way to protect themselves in the face of Pyongyang’s recent nuclear weapons test.
North Korea carried out a nuclear test on Wednesday (January 6), although the U.S. government and weapons experts doubt Pyongyang’s assertion that the device it exploded was a powerful hydrogen bomb.
The test angered both the United States and China, which was not given prior notice.
Residents in nearby Yanji city across the Chinese border on Friday (January 8) said that they were unsure how to deal with the threat of possible health risks after the test.
Retiree Yang Dezong, 66, said he feels there is “no guarantee” for his health if North Korea continues these tests.
“If you put it this way, there is no guarantee for the health of us common folk. They conducted such a test, and us common folk can’t stand it. The effect (this has) on the common folk and society is too big,” he said.
Wang He, 28, says she believes there really are no ways for Yanji residents to deal with the matter, as the Chinese government is unable to prevent the North from conducting more tests.
“There’s really no way for me (to protect myself), but I really believe that this is really bad… I don’t know what way there is (to protect ourselves),” she said.
Neither Yang nor Wang said they had received any information from the local government, via public service announcement or text message, alerting them of the possibility or health risks of radiation blowing over the border.
China fears North Korea’s nuclear programme destabilises its neighbourhood and gives the United States a pretext to send weapons and forces to the region.
But many Chinese experts fear that if China pulled back support for its neighbour, it could destabilise the country and send a flood of refugees into China. (Reuters)