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. |