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본문영역

North Korea Informs South Korea of Dam Water Control Ahead of Wet Season

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관리자
created
2002-06-03
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10560
Press Releases

June 3, 2002
Ministry of Unification

North Korea has notified South Korea of its plan to control the water level at a dam under construction in the Mt. Geumgang area starting on Monday (June 3). North Korea said it was doing so ahead of this summer's rainy season "out of warm compatriotic love and a humanitarian spirit."

In a phone call to the Southern liaison officer at the truce village of Panmunjom May 31, the North, however, said that the release of a certain amount of water from the Imnam Dam has nothing to do with the dam's durability.

Early last month, a considerable concern was raised in the South over the safety of the North Korean dam built in the river system that is shared by the South. A sudden collapse of the dam could endanger the safety of the Peace Dam erected south of the DMZ late in the 1980s to counter a possible North Korean water attack.

In the notification, North Korea said the safety and durability of the Geumgangsan Power Plant built on the Imnam Dam have been guaranteed as it was constructed with the benefit of "Juche" (self-reliance) technology and skill, as well as experience built up over many years.

The ministry said North Korea's water level control would greatly ease safety concerns in the South, and that the government would also take necessary steps to reinforce the structure of the Peace Dam.

Since the South intended to raise the matter at the forthcoming inter-Korean economic cooperation meeting, the North's move is expected to have a positive effect on inter-Korean cooperation in water resource management.