Water level at N. Korean dam "unpredictably high" before deadly release: S. Korea

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense minister-nominee said Friday
that the water level at a North Korean dam was "unpredictably high" when its
discharge led to the deaths of six civilians in the South earlier this month.
The comment by Kim Tae-young at a parliamentary confirmation hearing came a day
after he said in a pre-hearing statement to the National Assembly that North
Korea was seeking to adjust water levels when it unleashed the dam water.
Kim, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and nominated last week as the new
defense minister, reiterated Friday that there was no clear evidence to call the
discharge a "water attack."
Following the incident, North Korea said that it had to drain water to prevent an
overflow. South Korea rejected the account and demanded a thorough explanation
and an apology.
The controversy has mounted in South Korea as some suspect the release was a
military offensive by the communist neighbor.
Despite a budding thaw between the two sides in recent weeks, cross-border ties
remain largely frozen, as they have been since President Lee Myung-bak took
office in Seoul last year with a disciplinary stance toward Pyongyang.
Flash floods have frequently caused damage to fish farms in South Korean border
regions since North Korea began building dams along the Imjin River in 2000. But
the latest incident was the first to result in human casualties.
The Hwanggang Dam, some 40km north of the border, was completed in February and
can hold up to 400 million tons of water, according to Seoul officials.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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