Ministry of Unification: "North Korea Must Notify Before Dam Discharge... Concerns Over Imjingang Flooding"

Flood Damage Concerns in the Imjingang River Basin During the Monsoon Season
"North Korea, Notify in Advance Instead of Unauthorized Water Release"

The government, concerned about flood damage in the Imjingang River basin during the rainy season, has requested North Korea to notify them in advance before releasing water from dams.

An official from the Ministry of Unification stated to the press corps on the 30th, "To prevent flood damage in the inter-Korean border area during the upcoming rainy season, the government officially requests the North to notify our side in advance when releasing water from dams."

Goo Byung-sam, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification [Photo by Yonhap News]

The official said, "Notifying in advance about water release is a matter that the North agreed upon with us in the past, and as seen in the three previous cases of prior notification, it is technically not difficult at all," adding, "We urge the North to take sincere measures to prevent damage caused by unnotified releases." He continued, "The government will do its best to prevent damage in the border area through close cooperation with related agencies."

North Korea, which operates the Hwanggang Dam upstream from the South, has frequently released water without notice. The South Korean government has been operating the Gunam Dam since 2010 to defend against floods in the Imjingang River basin; however, in 2020, due to a prolonged rainy season combined with unauthorized releases by the North, the water level rose close to the design limit of 40 meters.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Unification stated that considering the communication channels between the two Koreas are not functioning smoothly, it disclosed this position through the media. Since North Korea cut off communication lines in April, it has not responded to South Korea's regular calls via the inter-Korean joint liaison office and military communication lines for over two months.

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