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Was the massive explosion that took place in Ryanggang for building a hydropower station, as North Korea has explained?
Despite the explanation of North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun, some analysts have said questions still remain. True, since South Korea took a satellite picture about 10 hours after the explosion, the smoke cloud grew larger than the one immediately after the explosion and that might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
Many people, however, have interpreted that the North might have been hiding something. The South Korean government did not seem to believe the North¡¯s explanation perfectly. A South Korean high ranking official said, ¡°I wonder if it was really necessary to detonate such a huge quantity of explosives in building a small dam?¡±
North Korean defectors think the North has not given a correct explanation to conceal its military factories. It is highly likely that the North is worried about the possibility that a crowd of military plants near the explosion site would be uncovered if it acknowledged that the explosion was large-scale. A North Korean defector said, ¡°Many large scale accidents have taken place in North Korea. April¡¯s explosion in Ryongchon, however, was the only case the North publicly admitted." Korea University professor Yoo Ho-yeol said, ¡°South Korea needs to focus on the possibility that North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun diplomatically made the explanation without knowing core information.¡±
Meanwhile, many people pointed out that the North¡¯s explanation is credible since it came from its Foreign Minister. They have said that unlike the explosion of Ryongchon, the North has not rapidly revealed the scale of damage and casualties because the explosion had not been an accident. Government officials have appeared to step back from their presumption by saying Monday that the large cloud formed on Sept. 9 was unclear. Intelligence authorities have not ruled out analysis that the explosion was a large-scale one. Some interpret that the government has said that the explosion is not serious just because it wasn't a nuclear test.
As of now, it is uncertain whether the North gave a correct explanation or it is hiding something. It seems that disputes over the credibility of the North¡¯s explanation will continue until North Korea reveals evidence backing its construction of a hydropower plant or South Korean and U.S intelligence authorities complete their analysis of the information.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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