Korea, China sign agreement to study Mount Baekdu

Korea and China said yesterday they will conduct a joint volcano research project at Mount Baekdu next month.

The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Geology and Geophysics signed a memorandum of understanding to research the mountain’s geological features and observe the magma activity. The project is significant because China and North Korea, the two countries holding jurisdiction over Mount Baekdu, in the past haven’t disclosed much information about its geological features and didn’t permit other countries to carry out research there.

Korea and China will drill deep into the rock near the magma in an effort to predict any changes in the magma, a technique developed by the Korean research institute, and they will also extract mineral samples. About 40 researchers from Korean institutes and universities will participate in the 10-day trip. China also will share its observation data collected over the past years.