Tag: flood

The North Koreans have done it again where they have released water from their Imjim Dam without letting the ROK know:

Authorities on Tuesday upgraded a flood alert to a full warning for the Imjin River near the border with North Korea as water levels rose sharply due to heavy downpours and the North’s release of water.

The Han River Flood Control Office upgraded the alert from an advisory at 3:30 p.m. shortly after the water level at Imjin Bridge in Yeoncheon County, about 60 kilometers northeast of Seoul, reached 10.3 meters, rising 0.1 to 0.2 meters every 10 minutes. (…….)

The bridge’s water level has been on a sharp rise as heavy rainfall pounded the county and North Korea appeared to have released water from a dam near the inter-Korean border without giving prior notice.

The environment ministry said late Monday that satellite imagery confirmed the release of water from the Hwanggang Dam on the upper reaches of the Imjin River. (…..)

In 2009, North Korea agreed to notify South Korea in advance when it plans to discharge water from the Hwanggang Dam, following an accident that killed six South Koreans after the North discharged water from the dam without notice.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

North Korea has enough money to build nuclear weapons, ICBMs, and a space program; I am sure they can find funding if they wanted to provide aid to these flood victims. Additionally if the ROK did provide aid how could they monitor it is actually going to the flood victims and not the military?:

South Korea on Thursday proposed providing humanitarian aid to North Korea over damage from the recent downpours in its northern border areas along the Amnok River, as the North is believed to have sustained huge casualties.

The unification ministry said it is willing to urgently support the North Korean flood victims with the necessary supplies from a humanitarian and fraternal perspective through the Korean Red Cross.

“We are ready to discuss the items, scale and method of support with the North Korean counterpart. We expect North Korea’s swift response,” said Park Jong-sul, secretary general of the Korean Red Cross, expressing his “deep sympathy” for the victims.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Hopefully everyone living on the southern tip of the Korean peninsula is keeping safe:

Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods in the Korean Peninsula’s southern regions, Wednesday, leaving at least six people dead and two missing, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and regional fire headquarters.

Record-level downpours — up to nearly 150 millimeters in an hour — pounded the provinces of Chungcheong, Jeolla and Gyeongsang, causing casualties and property damage.

A man in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, was found dead inside an elevator at a residential building after apparently being trapped there.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Condolences to the friends and family of the ROK Marine killed this week during flood rescue operations:

Rescue workers carry the body of a marine to an ambulance in Yecheon on July 19, 2023. He went missing earlier in the day after being swept away by a torrent while participating in search and rescue operations in the area. (Yonhap)

Rescue workers on Wednesday found the body of a marine who went missing after being swept away by a torrent in a southeastern county while participating in search and rescue (SAR) operations after heavy monsoon rains and landslides in the area.

The marine corporal, serving with the 1st Marine Infantry Division, disappeared into the Naeseong stream rapids in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, 161 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at about 9:10 a.m. during SAR operations, ROK Marine Corps officials said. 

His body was discovered downstream at around 11:08 p.m. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Fire authorities work on drainage as torrential rain flooded a residential area in Seogwipo, a city on the southernmost island of Jeju, on June 30, 2018. Weather authorities have issued a downpour warning for most of the island, except for some parts in the west. (Yonhap)

Russian flood relief supplies arrive in North Korea https://t.co/cFTLRdSACB pic.twitter.com/69DIpyhatu

— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) November 19, 2016

It doesn’t appear to be an asymmetric attack like the North Koreans have done before, but instead just a response to the heavy rains that have hit the peninsula:

North Korea discharged water from a dam near the border with South Korea Wednesday, prompting the South to evacuate border-area residents for fears of flooding.

“It seems that North Korea discharged water from Hwanggang Dam at around 6 a.m.,” a South Korean military official said. “North Korea opened the floodgates of the dam bit by bit from early morning.”

The North did not notify the South of the dam water discharge in advance despite their previous agreement to do so, the official said.

Still, Seoul ruled out the possibility that the sudden water release has anything to do with flooding attacks, he added.

The water level at the North Korean dam had been detected to have risen to full capacity with the area having massive rainfalls in recent weeks.

Six South Koreans were killed in September 2009 after North Korea released a massive amount of water from the border dam without prior warning.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.