victims of flood caused by N.Korea to receive 3 bln won compensation

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean court has said a state-run firm and
local government office will pay 3 billion won (US$2.6 million) to the families
of six people swept away in a flood unleashed last year when North Korea opened a
dam without warning, officials said Wednesday.
According to the court's mediation center, the bereaved families and the Korea
Water Resources Corp. (KWRC) and the Yeoncheon County government have not raised
objection to the amount of compensation the center suggested.
The six died in September while camping or fishing along the Imjin River, which
runs between the two Koreas, drawing an outcry from the South. An early warning
system that might have alerted the victims to the flood danger failed to work
properly.
Following the incident, the KWRC paid 100 million won to the family members of
each victim -- 600 million won in total -- acknowledging its responsibility for
the warning system's malfunction. But the bereaved families filed suit with the
Seoul Central District Court, saying the amount was inadequate.
Acknowledging the victims' partial fault in camping near a dangerous site, the
court's mediation center suggested that the KWRC and the local government of
Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, pay additional 2.4 billion won to the
families, officials said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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