Seoul: North Korea notified South Korea today
that it may soon release dam water into a river flowing to
the South because of heavy rains, Seoul`s Unification Ministry
said. A similar incident last year killed six people.
In September, the North Korean dam discharged a large
amount of water into the Imjin River without any warning,
causing a deadly river surge in South Korea and the six
deaths.
The incident strained ties between the Koreas, with some
South Korean media speculating the dam release was meant as an
attack. The North, however, later said it had to release water
because the water level at the dam was too high at the time
and it would warn Seoul of similar dam releases in the future.
Today, the North told the South through a military hot
line that it may have to release dammed water southward after
8 pm (1100 GMT) today if heavy rain continues, the Unification
Ministry said in a statement.
The South Korean authorities are making necessary
preparations to cope with the water discharge, it said. The
statement gave no further details.
Torrential rain has pounded the Korean peninsula in
recent days, but it wasn`t immediately known exactly how much
rain the North has received.
The North`s notice came amid persistent tension in the
wake of the March sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on
Pyongyang.
PTI
