'The Tragedy of Hwanggang Dam' What Is It... South Korean Prime Minister Says "We Must Prepare for the Possibility of North Korean Dam Discharge"

6 Campers Dead in 2009 North Korea Unauthorized Discharge
‘Prior Notification’ Agreement Made but Unauthorized Discharges Repeated

As the nationwide monsoon continues for the third week, the government has urged thorough preparation for the possibility of dam discharge by North Korea. Previously, North Korea agreed with the South to provide prior notice before discharging water from dams, but unauthorized discharges have been repeated every monsoon season, raising concerns about flooding damage in the downstream areas of shared rivers between the two Koreas due to the sudden surge of water.

On the morning of the 14th, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, presiding over a video conference to review the heavy rain response situation at the Government Seoul Office, stated, "Heavy rain is expected in Hwanghae Province, upstream of the Imjin River, so we must thoroughly prepare for the possibility of discharge from North Korea's Hwanggang Dam," adding, "The Ministry of Environment and the Korea Water Resources Corporation should continuously monitor the water level at Pilsunggyo Bridge and promptly operate the flood control function of the Gunam Dam if any abnormal signs are detected."

Hwanggang Dam, North Korea

This remark is related to North Korea's repeated unauthorized discharges every year. The Hwanggang Dam, upstream of the Imjin River, is located about 42.3 km north of the Military Demarcation Line. Since the two Koreas share the river, if North Korea discharges water from the dam upstream without notice, the water levels at downstream points in South Korea such as Yeoncheon and Paju in Gyeonggi Province can rise sharply, causing damage. In September 2009, six South Korean citizens camping were killed and 21 vehicles were submerged due to unauthorized discharge from North Korea's Hwanggang Dam.

Following this incident, in October of the same year, during the Imjin River Flood Prevention Working-Level Talks, North Korea agreed to notify the South in advance when discharging water from the Hwanggang Dam. However, North Korea did not properly adhere to this agreement.

In August 2020, former President Moon Jae-in expressed regret over North Korea's unauthorized discharge. At that time, former President Moon said, "If the North had informed us in advance about the discharge from the Hwanggang Dam, it would have greatly helped in managing the water volume at Gunam Dam, but unfortunately, that is not the case," adding, "Although the two Koreas had previously agreed to do so, the agreement has not been well implemented."

Former President Moon Jae-in is receiving a briefing from officials of the Korea Water Resources Corporation near Gunnam Dam in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, a border area, in August 2020, on countermeasures against heavy rain and the discharge from North Korea's Hwanggang Dam. Photo by the Blue House Press Photographers Group

However, North Korea again carried out unauthorized discharge in August last year amid continuous heavy rain. Although no damage was caused by the discharge, residents in the downstream areas of the Imjin River had to live in anxiety. The total storage capacity of the Hwanggang Dam (350 million tons) is five times larger than that of the Gunam Dam (71.6 million tons), and the distance between the two dams is 57 km, with water discharged from the Hwanggang Dam reaching the Gunam Dam within an hour.

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