Water levels in
the Gunnam Dam on the Imjin River in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province rose suddenly on May 16 and continued until dawn of the next day. South Korean officials said North Korea is responsible for the incident.
According to a source with ties to the Gunnam
Dam, the normal water level under the Pilseung Bridge, which extends 10 km to
the south from Gunnam Dam is between 30-40cm. However, on the afternoon of the
16 it began to rise, reaching 1 m by 10pm on the 16th and 1.97 m at 1:20am on
May 17. Soon thereafter, the water level began to recede once again.
The water levels of Gunnam Dam also rose on
the 16, starting at 31.26 m at 7am and rising to 31.75 m by 9pm, 32.03 m by
10pm, and 32.3 m by 11pm. Between 2-3am on the 17 they reached a height of
32.71 m. The sluice gates on Imjin River were opened at 1am on the 17, thereby releasing 500 tons of water to counter the rising water levels.
The source, who declined to be identified. told Daily NK that it is impossible to verify information about water levels of North’s Hwanggang Dam on the Imjin River.
The Yeoncheon-gun Office, together with the
local troops, firefighters, fisheries, and other related organizations
announced that they would be taking preventative measures to keep the situation
from worsening. Thus far, no injuries to the local population have been
reported, unlike a similar incident in 2009, which claimed the lives of six
South Korean citizens camping in the area.
Some analysts have speculated that this week’s incident was an exercise by North
Korea to test flooding effects with no advance notice and therefore ascertain the specifics of possible South Korea’s countermeasures in such an event.
