Seoul, September 07: South Korea protested to North Korea on Monday after its neighbour’s unannounced dam discharge created a flash flood that swept away six people south of the border.
Floodwater hit five campers and a fishermen early Sunday after the North released water into the Imjin River that crosses the frontier, briefly swelling it to twice its normal depth.
“The government has expressed regret that a North Korean dam along the Imjin River released water yesterday without prior notice and caused big damage, including six of our citizens going missing,” the unification ministry said.
Seoul demanded an explanation and called on its neighbour to give prior warning the next time it releases dam water.
The incident happened as cross-border ties were improving after more than a year of tensions. The North last month freed five South Korean detainees, eased border curbs, and sent envoys for talks with President Lee Myung-Bak.
Thousands of troops were mobilised Monday to search for the missing. Police are also investigating whether there was any negligence by Seoul officials in charge of issuing flood alerts.
In addition to the missing South Koreans, police found the body of a boy aged four or five who apparently drifted downriver from the North on Sunday. His death was related to the same incident.
The ruling Grand National Party demanded an apology for the discharge.
“Whatever the reason was, it was an unpardonable criminal act,” the party said in a strongly worded statement.
“North Korea must make an immediate and official apology over the incident and present countermeasures to prevent it from recurring.”
Previous unannounced water discharges since the North began building dams on the river in 2000 to generate electricity had damaged fish farms and riverside areas in Yeoncheon County, 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Seoul.
Sunday’s incident was the first to claim any lives.
The defence ministry said South Korean and US officials were trying to establish the reason for the discharge. The US stations 28,500 troops in the South to deter North Korea.
“We have yet to identify it as an attack by flooding,” said spokesman Won Tae-Jae, adding no unusual activity had been detected at the North’s Hwanggang Dam before the discharge.
Seoul officials have in the past expressed fears of such an attack.
In 1986, North Korea broke ground on a major dam near Hwacheon, about 200 kilometres northeast of Seoul, when South Korea was busy preparing for the 1988 Olympics.
The then-South Korean dictator Chun Doo-Hwan said the dam could be used to deluge Seoul during the Olympics. A nationwide fundraising campaign began to build the South’s “Peace Dam” further down the river.
–Agencies