South Korea says unannounced water discharge by North triggers evacuation alert in border areas: Report

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea Sunday said it has issued an evacuation alert after North Korea appeared to have released water from a dam north of the inter-Korean border without giving prior notice to Seoul, according to South Korean media.

Seoul's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said it has been monitoring the Hwanggang dam, located upstream of the Imjin River, after satellite imagery taken on Saturday night showed signs of water being discharged from the dam, the Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korea has not yet responded to the claim.

The water level at Pilseung Bridge, the northernmost point of the Imjin River in South Korea, had risen to 1.86 meters as of Sunday morning, according to the news agency.

As a water level of 1 meter requires the evacuation of visitors in the river area, authorities have issued text alerts urging visitors and nearby residents to evacuate.

North Korea is presumed to have discharged water to control the border dam's water level due to heavy rains in the region since Friday, with additional rain forecast for Monday and Tuesday.

In 2009, Pyongyang had agreed to provide prior notice before releasing water from the Hwanggang dam and sent such notices intermittently in 2010 and 2013 but has not issued any since, according to Yonhap.

South Korea says the unannounced water releases have threatened the safety of residents in its border areas.