North Korea Suspected of Unauthorized Release at Hwanggang Dam Again... Ministry of Unification "Expecting Information Sharing"

Two Increases in Pilseunggyo Water Level Overnight on the 5th
Multiple Unannounced Gate Openings This Year

The Labor Party's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on the 5th that efforts are being fully concentrated nationwide on projects to prevent major water (flood) and heavy rain damage, such as maintaining reservoirs, drainage channels, and coastal embankments. The photo shows the Hwangju County Irrigation Management Office preparing for heavy rain.

Overnight on the 5th, the water level of Pilsunggyo Bridge, the northernmost point of the Imjingang River in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province, rose sharply. The Ministry of Unification expressed hope for information exchange with the North regarding natural disasters.

At a regular briefing that day, Ministry of Unification spokesperson Yeo Sang-gi, when asked whether there was any indication that North Korea had additionally opened the sluice gates of the Hwanggang Dam to release water, stated, "Our side has confirmed that the water level at (Pilsunggyo Bridge) rose by more than 5 meters in two instances last night," suggesting the possibility of unauthorized discharge by the North.

Earlier, on the 4th, the Ministry of Unification revealed that North Korea had opened the sluice gates of the Hwanggang Dam upstream of the Imjingang River three times since July to release water, without prior notification.

The Hwanggang Dam, with a total storage capacity of 350 million tons, if discharged without authorization, could cause fishermen's gear installed in the Imjingang River to be swept away, as well as result in casualties.

In September 2009, North Korea released water from the Hwanggang Dam without prior notice, which led to the deaths of six residents in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province. Following this, in October of the same year, during inter-Korean working-level talks on flood prevention for the Imjingang River, North Korea agreed to provide prior notification to the South when releasing water from the Hwanggang Dam.

Spokesperson Yeo said, "Even if inter-Korean relations become strained politically or militarily, the natural disaster sector is non-political and humanitarian," adding, "We hope that basic cooperation such as information sharing will be realized as soon as possible."

When asked about possible methods of information exchange given that North Korea severed inter-Korean communication lines in June, he replied, "If there is a will to share information, technical methods would not pose a significant problem."

Meanwhile, as of 1 p.m. on the 5th, the water level at Pilsunggyo Bridge was recorded at 8.31 meters. This is the first time this year that the water level has exceeded 8 meters. The highest water level ever recorded at Pilsunggyo Bridge was 10.55 meters on August 27, 2009.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.