President Moon: "It Would Be Helpful to Notify in Advance About Hwanggang Dam Releases"... Visits Gunnam Dam Amid Heavy Rain Damage

In Preemptive Judgment Urged in Inter-Korean Meteorological Information Agency Cooperation... "Please Open the Gunam Dam Gates to Adjust Water Levels"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "Including weather information, please cooperate well with related agencies to properly assess all information such as weather information near both our South and North, and accordingly open the gates of Gunnam Dam appropriately to control the water level."

President Moon Jae-in said this on the afternoon of the 6th during his visit to Gunnam Dam in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province. He visited Gunnam Dam amid concerns about flood damage caused by North Korea's water discharge.

President Moon visited Gunnam Dam as part of his on-site visit to areas affected by heavy rain damage. Present at the site were Lee Yong-cheol, Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province for Administration, Choi Jong-hwan, Mayor of Paju City, and Kim Gwang-cheol, Governor of Yeoncheon County. The Blue House delegation included Yoo Yeon-seok, Chief of Security, Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Kang Min-seok, Spokesperson, Lee Jin-seok, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Shin Ji-yeon, First Deputy Secretary, and Tak Hyun-min, Protocol Secretary.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Upon arriving at the Gunnam Dam Flood Control Center, President Moon received a report on the flood control situation. Kwon Jae-wook, Director of the Yeoncheon-Pocheon branch of Korea Water Resources Corporation, explained, "Even if North Korea's Hwanggang Dam suddenly collapses, simulations show that the main flow will not reach here, and the water will rise up to 44 meters. We have reviewed even the worst-case scenarios to ensure there are no problems."

President Moon asked, "The water level can be sufficiently controlled through gate adjustments. However, if discharge occurs, there may be flooding damage downstream, so are you cooperating well with local governments on that part?"

Director Kwon replied, "We currently have a hotline system established among eight agencies including the Ministry of Environment, local governments, military units, police, and fire stations. It is structured so that we can communicate 24/7 and connect immediately whenever needed."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon expressed regret, saying, "Since the discharge from Hwanggang Dam is added, it would be a great help in managing the water volume at Gunnam Dam if the North informed us in advance about the discharge from Hwanggang Dam, but unfortunately, that is not happening now. There was an agreement between South and North Korea in the past to do so, but currently, that agreement is not being properly implemented."

President Moon asked, "Also, although we do not know the exact time, can we predict if heavy rain falls in the North and they discharge water from Hwanggang Dam?" Director Kwon answered, "Yes, that can be predicted."

Director Kwon added, "We cooperate with the military to receive military data, and we are currently managing and receiving real-time information on the water level of Hwanggang Dam and whether discharge is actually occurring."

President Moon urged, "Please appropriately open the gates of Gunnam Dam to control the water level, and if discharge occurs, cooperate well with regions such as Yeoncheon County, Paju City, and Gyeonggi Province to prevent damage downstream."

Meanwhile, Blue House Spokesperson Kang Min-seok said, "Today's on-site schedule was urgently decided around 12 PM today. It is extremely unusual to depart for the schedule just over two hours after the decision."

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