(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Sept. 10) -- Water as a weapon?

North Korea said on Monday that it had to discharge water urgently from a
reservoir on the upstream Imjin River as the water level was rising rapidly. It
added that if it released a large amount of water in the future, it would give
South Korea advance notice for the prevention of damage downstream.
Those terse remarks were the answer to South Korea's demand for an explanation
about a sudden flooding downstream the previous day, which swept up six South
Korean campers.
All of their bodies were recovered. However, nowhere in North Korea's telephone
message was an expression of regret over the deaths - the bare minimum demanded
of a civilized state.
In addition, an estimated 40 million tons of water discharged from the reservoir
also did damage to South Korean fishermen and the military. The flood washed away
nets and other equipment installed to catch crabs and freshwater fish, and Army
units had to call off a military exercise and move tanks and other vehicles far
away from the river.
No wonder South Korea, which had made an initial request for information earlier,
made a new demand for an apology. It also called for a more detailed explanation.
South Korea was unconvinced that it was urgent to release water from the
reservoir, given that there had been no heavy rainfall.
When it opened the sluice doors, North Korea did not make good on its 2007
promise to give the South advance notice. Moreover, the North Korean action went
against both the 2004 inter-Korean accord on the prevention of floods on the
Imjin River and the 1971 Declaration of Asuncion on the Use of International
Rivers.
South Korea is keeping to itself what course of action it is considering taking
if the North refuses to take proper action. But a lack of progress in dispute
settlement may prod the South to downgrade inter-Korean exchanges and
cooperation, which have already been at low ebb.
Sunday's sudden discharge of water also exposed South Korea's vulnerability to a
potential security threat from the North and to natural disasters. Remedial
measures are in urgent demand.
The North Korean reservoir is reportedly capable of storing 300 million to 400
million tons of water. That could be used as a dreadful weapon if the North
should decide to discharge all the water, especially when the areas adjacent to
the river were already flooded during rainy season. Two dams under construction
in the South, experts say, will not be capable of controlling that much water.
Another problem is South Korea's inadequate capacity for controlling flood
damage. An early warning system is installed to monitor the water level of the
river and issue a warning for evacuation when it reaches a dangerous level. But
it did not work this time. Moreover, no county official was monitoring the
closed-circuit TV that showed the water level.
Fault was also found with the military, which failed to deal adequately with a
sentry's early report on the rising water level.
The military did not report the finding to the crisis management team of the
presidential office until after South Korean soldiers pulled the body of a North
Korean boy out of the water. It also took time until it dawned on the crisis
management team that the sudden flood was not a simple disaster but a serious
matter concerning national security.
The South Korean government is urged to conduct a comprehensive inter-agency
review of the North Korean action and the South Korean response to it.
Based on its findings, it will have to draw up a contingency plan and seek a
durable solution. It cannot allow its riverside residents to be held hostage by
North Korean flood threats.
(END)