N. Korea adopts law on preventing damage from earthquakes and volcanoes

North Korea has adopted a new law on preventing damage from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the country’s official news agency said.

“The law stipulates principles concerning observation and forecast of natural disasters, prevention of damages and rescue activities,” the Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday, without giving details.

The development comes after experts have warned that North Korea’s Mount Baekdu, which borders China, may still have an active core, citing topographical signs and satellite images.

Mount Baekdu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, has been dormant since its last eruption in 1903.

Pyongyang claims the mountain is the sacred birthplace of its leader, Kim Jong-il, though historians and foreign officials say he was born in Russia.

Experts of the two Koreas held talks on potential volcanic activity on Mount Baekdu in March and April. North Korea proposed the rare meeting soon after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan earlier this year.

Still, the two sides have since failed to hold further talks or conduct an on-site survey of Mount Paekdu. (Yonhap News)