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| ▲ This image on June 2022 shows water being discharged from a South Korean dam in the border city of Yeoncheon. (Yonhap) |
N Korea-dam discharge
N. Korea discharges water from border dam twice without notice between June-July: Seoul
SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to have released water from a dam near the inter-Korean border twice between June and July, both times without prior notice to South Korea, a unification ministry official said Tuesday.
North Korea discharged water from the Hwanggang Dam, located upstream on the Imjin River, which flows across the inter-Korean border, on June 25 and again on July 18 without prior notice to the South, the ministry official said.
The official also reiterated Seoul's call for North Korea to provide prior notice before releasing water from the border dam, citing "humanitarian" concerns.
An unannounced discharge from the Hwanggang Dam in September 2009 caused flooding in the South Korean border city of Yeoncheon, leaving six residents dead or missing.
"The government is monitoring the situation regarding North Korea's water discharge while closely cooperation with relevant agencies to prevent any damage to border areas from heavy rains," the official noted.
As of early Tuesday, the water level under Pilseung Bridge, located downstream on the Imjin River just below the inter-Korean border, stood at 1.08 meters.
A water level of 7.5 meters or higher triggers the lowest of the four alert levels in the area's crisis management system.
In late 2009, the North agreed to provide prior notice before discharging water from the dam. The regime sent such notices intermittently in 2010 and 2013, but has not issued any since.
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