Group urges radiation tests for 900 North Korean escapees

By Kim Tong-Hyung The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea— Human rights advocates on Tuesday urged South Korea to offer radiation exposure tests to hundreds of North Korean escapees who had lived near the country’s nuclear testing ground.

Tests conducted by the South Korean government on 40 people in 2017 and 2018 found at least nine of them had abnormalities that could indicate high radiation exposure, but Seoul’s Unification Ministry said a conclusive link to North Korea’s nuclear activity couldn’t be established and other factors were possible, such as age, smoking habits or other types of chemical exposure.

The South Korean radiation tests were subsequently discontinued.

is making money from the crisis.”

“There are enough facts to show the true nature of the US as a source of trouble rather than a defender of peace for the world,” Wang said.

The US has committed about $113 billion in aid to Ukraine since last year, while European allies have committed tens of billions of dollars more and welcomed millions of Ukrainian refugees who have fled the conflict. Such aid is funded by US and other foreign taxpayers, with Ukraine under no obligation to provide repayment as it seeks to withstand renewed Russian attempts to regain territory it had earlier conquered.

Wang also defended China’s “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Russia as “based on nonalignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties, which is within the sovereignty of two independent countries.”

Wang gave no details on Wang Yi’s visit to Moscow, but called it “an opportunity to work with Russia to jointly promote steady progress of bilateral relations in the direction determined by the two leaders, safeguard each other’s legitimate rights and interests and contribute positively to world peace.” AP