Seoul, September 09: South Korea recovered two more bodies from a cross-border river on Wednesday, three days after a massive discharge of water from a North Korean dam swept away six southerners.
Seoul has demanded an apology and full explanation from Pyongyang for Sunday’s sudden surge in water levels on the Imjin river, which carried away campers south of the heavily fortified border.
Police said the two bodies, along with three recovered earlier, have been identified as those of missing citizens. One of the two bodies found Wednesday was that of a boy aged eight.
Seoul said an estimated 40 million cubic metres (52 million cubic yards) was released from the North’s Hwanggang Dam.
North Korea on Monday blamed a sudden surge in the dam’s water level for the “emergency” release and promised to give prior warning of future discharges.
But Seoul on Tuesday demanded an apology and further details.
Officials said there had been no heavy rain in the North in recent days to explain such a surge, and noted its communist neighbour failed to express regret for the victims.
“The North has not yet responded to our latest demand,” a unification ministry spokesman told AFP.
The tragedy threatened to damage cross-border relations which have lately been improving. Some Seoul newspapers raised suspicions the surge was intentional.
Last month the North made peace overtures both to its southern neighbour and the United States. It freed five South Korean detainees, eased border curbs and sent envoys for talks with President Lee Myung-Bak.
—Agencies