“Mt. Baekdu will erupt in 2016,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said.

Kim explained workers of a mine in the town of Musan, North Hamgyeong Province, about the mountain’s probable eruption in 2016, calling for production of iron ore as soon as possible, according to a civil human rights group against North Korea. Due to the eruption, Kim added that “Residents living within a given area from the mountain will have to be evacuated.” The majority of this town have come to believe the mountain’s probable eruption following the remark of Kim. However, it is not known on what ground Kim has made such a remark.

Last October, professors Yoon Sung-hyo and Lee Jung-hyun of Pusan National University reported in their joint paper that Mt. Baekdu has showed signs of volcanic activity. They also warned that the scale will possibly be 10 times greater than that of Iceland’s volcano which erupted last year.

The National Science and Technology Council, a top policymaking body on science and technology headed by President Lee Myung-bak, reported on Dec. 27 that seven government agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Environment Ministry, have jointly launched to monitor, prediction and develop technology against the probable volcanic eruption.