Technical Failures Including Communication Line Disruptions Due to Heavy Rain in the North
Minister Kwon Young-se Visits Yeoncheon Gunnam Flood Control Dam
Inspects Safety of Border Area Residents and Flood Prevention Facilities
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 28th, the Ministry of Unification announced, "In accordance with inter-Korean agreements, we request the North to notify us in advance when releasing water from dams in North Korean waters."
Through the "Ministry of Unification's Position on Preventing Flood Damage in Border Areas during the Monsoon Season" released to the media that afternoon, the Ministry stated, "Given concerns about flood damage in the inter-Korean border areas during the monsoon season, this is a basic measure to prevent loss of life and property for residents in the border areas," emphasizing this request.
The Ministry of Unification also added, "Considering the current unstable communication links between the South and the North and the urgency of the matter, we are first publicly requesting the North, and plan to send an official notification to the North once communication lines are restored."
After the announcement, a Ministry official told reporters, "This morning at 9 a.m., we attempted several times to make the regular call through the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, but there was no response from the North, so the call did not take place," and added, "The communication line between the Panmunjom machine room, which uses the same line as the liaison office, also did not respond."
He further said that although the military communication line's regular call at 8 a.m. was completed, communication has been unstable since then. He stated, "We presume technical issues such as communication line disruptions caused by heavy rainfall in the North Korean region."
As the Korean Peninsula entered the full monsoon season from the previous day, with heavy rain expected until the 30th, concerns have been raised that North Korea might unilaterally release water by opening sluice gates of dams such as the Hwanggang Dam (called Yesonggang Dam in North Korea), as in the past.
The Ministry of Unification has counted six cases where North Korea released dam water after prior notification, but there have been unauthorized releases in September 2005, September 2009, August 2012, and June-July 2018, which led to the issuance of official notifications to the North.
In 2020, North Korea also opened the sluice gates of the Hwanggang Dam several times during the monsoon season, causing a rapid rise in water levels at Pilsunggyo, the northernmost bridge on the Imjin River, which led to emergency evacuations of residents in nearby Paju and Yeoncheon areas of Gyeonggi Province.
On the same day, Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se visited the Gunam Flood Control Dam in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, adjacent to North Korea, as well as Pilsunggyo and the Typhoon Observatory, to inspect the safety of border area residents and flood prevention facilities.
The Korea Water Resources Corporation's Yeoncheon-Pocheon branch explained that the Imjin River is a shared river between South and North Korea, with North Korea located upstream and two-thirds of the basin belonging to North Korea, making inter-Korean cooperation even more important, the Ministry of Unification reported.
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