Satellite images show North Korea releasing water from Hwanggang Dam on the Imjin River without notifying South Korea, following heavy rains that filled the reservoir to capacity.
Sentinel satellite images with 10-meter resolution taken Aug. 4 show the Hwanggang Dam reservoir filled to capacity after recent heavy rains. The images captured white foam as water gushed from opened floodgates, indicating North Korea released water without prior notice.
The dam measures 1.1 kilometers (0.68 miles) long. A spillway on its left side diverts some water from the Imjin River to the Yesong River for hydropower generation. The images also revealed a partial breach in this spillway, with water overflowing toward the Imjin River.
Hwanggang Dam, completed in 2007, is a small multipurpose dam with a capacity of about 350 million tons.
South Korea’s unification ministry has repeatedly urged North Korea to give advance notice of water releases during the rainy season, but Pyongyang has not responded.
The 1.1-kilometer (0.68-mile) dam is located in Hwanggang-ri, Tosan County.
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