Chinese newspaper’s nuclear weapons coverage causes a stir

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An official newspaper in northeast China published a full-page coverage with information about nuclear weapons and radiation protection on Wednesday, causing major public attention and heated discussion.

Jilin Daily, headquartered in Jilin Province, which borders the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) set up a special column on Page 5 to publish the whole report.

Run under the headline "Knowledge about Nuclear Weapons and Protection", the coverage provided detailed information on nuclear weapons, nuclear explosions and radiation protection. Illustrations were also published to show readers how to cope with nuclear attack and eliminate radioactive contamination.

The newspaper's full-page coverage on nuclear weapons and radiation protection./ Jilin Daily Photo

Due to the province's location and the increasing tensions driven by the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the coverage caused a stir in the media.

Many Chinese media organizations, such as Global Times and The Beijing News, reported Jilin Daily’s coverage and analyzed its purpose.

The discussion among Chinese netizens is heating up as well. On Weibo, China’s biggest social network website, some users were concerned that this was a sign of a possible nuclear disaster on the Korean Peninsula, while others appreciated that this coverage could make people more aware of the hazards of nuclear weapons.

Jilin Daily‘s office building. /Xinhua Photo‍

The coverage was even questioned by a journalist during China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regular press conference.

However, an unnamed staff member from Jilin Daily said that it was a just a regular column for national defense education. An official from the national defense bureau of Jilin Province also expressed that the coverage was simply intended to provide the public with some basic knowledge of nuclear weapons.