Signs have been detected that North Korea is releasing water from the Hwanggang Dam upstream of the Imjin River. There was no prior notification.
On the 18th, the Ministry of Environment stated, "An analysis of satellite images taken around noon that day confirmed that the width of the river downstream of the Hwanggang Dam had increased."
The Hwanggang Dam is located on the upper reaches of the Imjin River, which is a shared river between the North and the South. When water is released, the water level downstream in Korea rises.
Earlier, in September 2009, North Korea released water from the Hwanggang Dam without notification, leading to casualties downstream of the Imjin River.
In response, Korea and North Korea agreed in 2009 to notify each other in advance of any release from the Hwanggang Dam. North Korea notified before releases twice in 2010 and once in 2013 but has not done so since then.
This year, our government requested North Korea to notify in advance before releasing water from the Hwanggang Dam, but once again, no notification was made.
The Ministry of Environment reported, "Due to expected water level rises in the Imjin River from the Hwanggang Dam's release, monitoring has been strengthened to prepare for accidents involving visitors."