Mount Paekdu, the holy mountain of the North Korean government, has been dormant since 1903 when it caused one of the largest explosions in human history. Now, North Korean underground nuclear tests are threatening to reawaken the beast.
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The 9,000 foot high volcano sits just 72 miles from North Korea’s Punggye-ri proving grounds where intelligence experts have found evidence of a coming 5th nuclear test. Just weeks ago, a similar test caused a magnitude 5.1 earthquake, strong enough to wake up this sleeping giant.
The Telegraph pointed to the studies by South Korean scientist Hong Tae-kyung:
“An underground nuclear explosion near an active volcano constitutes a direct threat to the volcano”
Mr Hong, a professor of seismology at Seoul’s Yonsei University, said the Mount Paekdu eruption in 946 produced pyroclastic flows nearly 1,000 feet thick while ash 2 inches thick coated parts of northern Japan, more than 650 miles away.
The eruption of this volcano would be devastating for the already impoverished nation. It also holds a major role in North Korean folklore. Kim Jong Il was said to have been born in a shack on the mountain while his father fought the Japanese.
Kim Jong Un is also said to have climbed it in a suit and dress shoes last spring, even though it towers 20 times higher than the great pyramid of Giza.
How would the world respond to such an eruption? Sound off in the comments below!
