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South Korea Issues Imjin River Flood Warning After Heavy Rain and Dam Release
The Han River Flood Control Office raised the alert to a full warning at 3:30 p.m. on July 21 after the water level at Imjin Bridge reached 10.3 meters. Heavy rainfall and water released from North Korea's Hwanggang Dam drove the increase.
Jul 21, 3:49 AM·1m read1 source
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The Han River Flood Control Office upgraded a flood alert to a full warning for the Imjin River at 3:30 p.m. on July 21 after the water level at Imjin Bridge in Yeoncheon County reached 10.3 meters. The level had been rising 0.1 to 0.2 meters every 10 minutes.
The office had issued an advisory at 11:40 a.m. when the same bridge reached 7 meters. , up from 8.1 meters at 11:40 a.m. Heavy rainfall in Yeoncheon County and the release of water from the Hwanggang Dam in North Korea caused the rapid increase, the environment ministry stated late Monday after reviewing satellite imagery.
The office and Yeoncheon County sent mobile alerts urging residents and visitors to avoid rivers and move to safe locations. A unification ministry official called on North Korea to respond jointly with the South to natural disasters in a responsible manner, describing the issue as humanitarian.
Communication channels with the North remain severed, the official said, and South Korea is monitoring developments through satellite imagery and other technologies.
North Korea agreed in 2009 to notify South Korea in advance before discharging water from the Hwanggang Dam, following an incident that killed six South Koreans.
