Mujugun Council Visits Yongdam Dam Management Team to Protest Flood Damage from Dam Discharge

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Go Dallyoung] The Muju County Council (Chairman Park Chanju) visited the Korea Water Resources Corporation Yongdam Dam Management Team on the 10th to protest the damages caused to Muju County by the discharge from Yongdam Dam and demanded measures to prevent recurrence.

Yongdam Dam increased its discharge from 1,500 tons per second at around 10 a.m. on the 8th to 3,200 tons per second starting at 11 a.m. the same day. As a result, flooding occurred mainly in Muju-eup and Bunan-myeon downstream of Yongdam Dam, causing damage to houses, roads, and farmland.

Muju County council members pointed out, “The Yongdam Dam Management Team abruptly increased the dam discharge volume significantly, which expanded the damage in the Geum River basin within Muju County,” adding, “Since heavy rain continued from the 7th and a rapid rise in dam water level was foreseeable, if the discharge had been gradually increased starting from a small amount, the damage caused by sudden large-scale discharge could have been prevented.”

Chairman Park Chanju expressed deep regret over the Yongdam Dam Management Team’s failure to respond appropriately to the situation, saying, “Summer heavy rains in our country are not a new occurrence, yet the management team did not adequately handle this situation.” He demanded, “Compensate for the damages and thoroughly establish preventive measures to avoid recurrence of rain-related damages.”