By John Q. Hosedrinker 
As summer heat rises, North Korean children seek relief in pools created by gold mining operations, a popular swimming spot despite the annual drownings. These pools, often deep with treacherous sandy bottoms, pose a significant drowning risk. Recently, a 7-year-old boy drowned in one of these pools, highlighting the dangers. Local residents attribute the accidents to unsafe gold mining practices and the lack of preventative measures from authorities, leaving parents to worry and caution their children.
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North Korean children drown in pools left by gold miners. It’s a headline that immediately evokes a sense of tragedy, and unfortunately, the details paint a grim picture of the realities these children face. The immediate danger, as highlighted, stems from the deep water itself. These aren’t your average swimming pools with gradual slopes and clear visibility. These are often former mining sites, where the extraction process has left behind deep pits and unpredictable underwater landscapes. Even for adults, the depth can be treacherous, with areas where you can’t touch the bottom, creating a constant need to swim just to stay afloat.
These pools are dangerous, first of all, because many of the children likely lack the basic swimming skills necessary for survival. We can assume there aren’t many swimming lessons available, particularly in poor, rural areas. The fundamental need for survival often overshadows recreational activities like swimming. Without the ability to swim, staying afloat in deep water becomes an impossible challenge. Even with flotation devices, which are unlikely to be available to most of these children, the hazards are far greater than that of a typical swimming pool.
The uneven and often unstable ground beneath the water adds a layer of risk. Unlike a sandy beach, the bottoms of these pools can be composed of soft clay, silt, and mining runoff. This creates several dangers. The ground can shift unexpectedly, causing children to lose their footing and panic. There may be no shallow end or easy way to exit the water. The bottom can have sudden drop-offs or underwater channels, making it impossible to touch bottom. The very material on the bottom can create a suction effect, grabbing hold of feet and pulling children under.
Another critical factor contributing to the drownings is the lack of supervision. With parents often working long hours, the children are frequently left unsupervised. This means there are no adults present to prevent them from entering the dangerous waters, and, if a child does get into trouble, there is no one to provide immediate assistance. There’s also a very high probability that the water is murky, making it impossible to see a child in distress.
The shock of cold water can exacerbate the danger. In the deeper parts of these pools, the water is often significantly colder, and the sudden plunge into icy depths can shock even experienced swimmers, impairing their ability to coordinate movements and breathe properly.
The nature of the terrain poses a further challenge. Underwater dredging can create steep drop-offs, loose gravel, and hidden hazards like broken rock or discarded mining equipment. These factors can make it difficult, if not impossible, to get to safety, even if a child can swim. Additionally, the water’s poor visibility makes it extremely difficult for rescuers to locate a drowning person.
Another layer of complexity comes from the natural human response to distress in water. A child panicking and struggling may look like they are just playing. Furthermore, when someone gets into trouble, they often instinctively grab at anything within reach. This can put any potential rescuers at risk of being pulled under as well.
It’s also important to consider that these children may be exposed to dangerous chemicals, such as cyanide and mercury, from the mining activity. Although the main focus is on the drowning, this adds another layer of health concern.
Some sources, like the Daily NK, have been cited, while being funded by organizations like the National Endowment for Democracy, which is supported by the U.S. Congress. The sources that are used may be politically biased, so while the information about the tragedies is very likely true, we should be cautious when drawing conclusions from them.
In summary, North Korean children are drowning in pools left by gold miners due to a tragic convergence of factors: a lack of swimming skills, dangerous pool characteristics, insufficient supervision, unpredictable water conditions, and the potential exposure to toxic chemicals. This grim reality paints a picture of a society where children are at significant risk.