The government officially requested North Korea to provide prior notification regarding the discharge from the Hwanggang Dam in the upper stream of the Imjin River to prevent flood damage in border areas during the rainy season.
On the 27th, Deputy Spokesperson Jang Yoon-jung of the Ministry of Unification stated during a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Complex, “To prevent flood damage in the border area during the rainy season, we ask that North Korea notify us in advance of dam discharges on a humanitarian basis.”
He emphasized, “Joint responses to natural disasters are humanitarian issues, and North and South Korea have agreed several times in the past to cooperate in preventing disasters along the Imjin River. Protecting the lives and safety of our citizens is the government's most important duty.”
If North Korea opens the gates of the Hwanggang Dam in the upper stream of the Imjin River, the water level at the Pilsung Bridge in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, and the Gunman Dam will rise sharply. In fact, on the 25th, the water level at the Pilsung Bridge reached 1.0m, which is the evacuation standard for visitors, and the Ministry of Environment indicated that this rise in water level is presumed to be due to unauthorized discharge by North Korea.
In this regard, the Ministry of Unification did not express regret to North Korea but urged prior notification through a media briefing, as direct communication has been impossible since North Korea unilaterally blocked the inter-Korean contact channel in April 2023.
In the past, following an incident in September 2009 when North Korea discharged water from the Hwanggang Dam without warning, resulting in the deaths or disappearances of six residents in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, an agreement was reached in October of the same year that North Korea should provide prior notification of dam discharges. Since that agreement, North Korea has only notified the South twice in 2010 and once in 2013 before discharges, and thereafter has discharged water without notification despite repeated requests from our government.
Deputy Spokesperson Jang stated, “The government will thoroughly prepare for the safety of residents in the border area through close cooperation among relevant agencies.”