North Korean children are being born without anus, toes or hands as a mysterious illness called “ghost disease” spreads near Kim Jong-un’s nuclear test site, according to a North Korean defector.
Youngran Lee, who lived near the Punggye-ri test site before escaping in 2015, said in a chilling first-hand account that a horrific disease has swept through the region, killing and deforming young children and leaving doctors unable to diagnose or treat it.
Ms Lee said: “In Kilju County, civilians are suffering from illnesses without knowing why. In hospitals, doctors are unable to diagnose them and patients are slowly dying with persistent illness.
“It is not too drastic to say that having a child without an anus, fingers or hands has become normal in Kilju. In every house there are patients with different types of cancer.”
The defector shared a rare glimpse of life inside the “Hermit Kingdom” and expressed concern about living so close to a nuclear testing zone. She described how her house shook and furniture fell off the walls as the military tested its weapons.
Youngran Lee (pictured) offered a rare glimpse of life near a North Korean test site
He said his son (pictured) was one of those affected by a mysterious illness.
A guard stands at the entrance to the northern tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, 2018
The alleged demolition of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in 2018
Mrs. Lee counts her only son among the victims of the phantom sickness.
He said that in North Korea, medicines supplied by the UN are hoarded by senior government officials, and despite the promise of free medical care, “the shelves are empty in pharmacies.”
So when her son developed a mild fever in October 2014, aged 27, she turned to black market drugs smuggled in from China.
But this did not help and he took him to the hospital.
She said: ‘A TB doctor told us my son had holes in his lungs, between 1.5 and 2.7cm in size.
‘He also said he did not know why an increasing number of young adults were coming to the hospital.
‘I couldn’t understand why this had happened to my son and I felt very helpless.
‘In addition, I had eight close friends, all of whom were diagnosed with tuberculosis one by one starting in 2012, and died within four years.’
Ms Lee spent her life savings on medicine for her son before fleeing to China in February 2015, hoping to find work to send more money home.
In August of that year, she arrived in South Korea, where she underwent mandatory training to prepare her for life in a free society.
She said: ‘As soon as I was released, I contacted my son to tell him to go to Pyongyang Hospital.
‘But the next day, he called again and said there were official instructions to prevent tuberculosis and hepatitis patients from Kilju County from entering Pyongyang.
“The only reason given was that it was for Kim Jong-un’s safety, and there was no proper explanation.”
She continued: ‘For two years, I transferred money to my son through intermediaries, believing he was receiving adequate care.
‘However, in May 2018, I lost my son, my pride and joy.
“My son died without ever reaching the hospital to receive a proper diagnosis.”
Ms Lee said she had lived near a nuclear test site before it was demolished in 2018.
She said: ‘On the day the third nuclear test was carried out, a wall clock fell and the light bulbs shook. I thought it was an earthquake and ran out.
‘All my neighbours were out too. Shortly afterwards, at noon, the main broadcasting channel announced that the third nuclear test had been a success.
“We then realized that the military-controlled area in Punggye-ri was a testing site.”
Locals danced in the street to celebrate, but they would be among the first victims of North Korea’s nuclear program.
The nuclear test site was reportedly destroyed in 2018
Kim Jong Un meets soldiers during a visit to a Western operational training base in North Korea
Kim Jong Un inspects a major operational training base at an undisclosed location in March
Experts believe radiation is the real cause of what has been called ghost sickness.
Nuclear scientist Joohyun Moon of Dankook University in South Korea described how radiation from underground explosions could reach local communities.
He said: ‘As shock waves travel, they break up layers of the earth or create cracks.
‘After a while, a mixture of molten rock and radioactive material will cool and solidify.
‘Radioactive materials contained in this compound can infiltrate gaps or cracks caused by the explosion and flow to the surface, soil or groundwater.
‘If it rains near the test site, the rain can carry these radioactive materials into the groundwater.
‘Groundwater is connected to rivers, streams and surface waters, releasing these radioactive materials to the outside world.
“As it is part of natural circulation, it is very difficult to intervene and prevent it.”
Dr Moon said there were several ways radioactive materials could infiltrate the food chain.
People could drink the irradiated water or eat seafood made with it, eat crops grown in the water, or consume milk or meat from cattle fed on contaminated grass.
The nuclear test site is located on the banks of the Changhung River, which in turn feeds the Namdae River, the main source of water for Kilju County.
“All households in Kilju get their water supply from there,” Ms Lee said.
Dr Moon estimated that more than a million residents within a 40-kilometre radius of the test site could be affected.
He said: ‘It is safe to say that residents near the test site will be under the influence of radiation for approximately 200 years.
‘The time period will increase if more nuclear tests are conducted at the same location.’
He added: “If the situation continues without adequate protection, these people will have a higher chance of suffering from cancer, leukemia, chromosomal aberrations, etc. than people from other regions.”
Youngran is still living with the damage in South Korea.
The Korean People’s Army conducts an artillery firing exercise in March
She was one of five North Korean defectors from Kilju county subjected to radiation tests in the South in 2016.
She said: ‘The test showed the exposure level was very high and the white blood cells were very low.
‘One of the group had an unbearable headache, he couldn’t even lift his head, but all the tests carried out in the emergency room didn’t find any cause.’
His own situation is no better.
She continued: ‘I have pain everywhere and I can’t walk very well because of the pain in my legs, and I was hospitalised six times in one year due to headaches.
‘The hospital couldn’t find any reason behind this, but I can’t even open my eyes when I have a headache; I feel restless and suicidal.
“I know many people from Kilju who experience the same symptoms as me.”