Seoul reviews whether N.K. dam discharge violated int`l law

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's government was reviewing whether North
Korea's abrupt dam discharge that caused a fatal flash flood on Sunday violated
international law, officials said Thursday.
Early Sunday morning, some 40 million tons of water from North Korea's Hwanggang
Dam washed across the Imjin River that runs through South Korea's western region,
sweeping away six people who were fishing or camping along the riverbanks. The
victims, including an eight-year old boy, were all discovered dead.
"We are currently working with related agencies, including the foreign affairs
and justice ministries, to examine whether North Korea violated any international
laws," said Chun Hae-sung, spokesperson for the Unification Ministry.
The North has acknowledged that it opened the dam due to a sudden surge in the
water level and promised to notify Seoul ahead of similar actions in the future.
Seoul has demanded a more thorough explanation and an apology from Pyongyang over
the incident, saying its response was not acceptable.
Government officials have also said that Seoul will "carefully review" whether to
ask the North for compensation for casualties and damage caused by the discharge.
Regarding the possibility of talks over compensation, Chun reiterated the need
for such consultations but said officials were still considering how to approach
the North on the matter.
Chun also said that the incident would not affect an upcoming reunion, scheduled
for early October, among families separated by the Korean War, given the
humanitarian nature of the event and the fact that both Koreas have already
negotiated a deal on the matter.
The Koreas have no formal accord on controlling the floodgates. Seoul has asked
for pre-notification at inter-Korean talks in recent years but the two sides have
not been able to settle on technical procedures.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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