A North Korean journalist on state-run television reports on a flood alert and heavy rain in Pyongyang | Image: KCTV (June, 28, 2022)
Seoul has demanded that Pyongyang provide advance notification if it decides to open floodgates on a river that runs into the South, according to the unification ministry, after North Korea failed to answer inter-Korean hotline calls on Tuesday morning.
The ministry explained in a statement that “the communication connection between the South and the North is unstable,” emphasizing the “urgency of the matter” as heavy rains and flooding hit the DPRK.
“The Ministry of Unification, amid flood concerns in inter-Korean border regions during the monsoon season, demands the North to notify our side in advance if it [decides to] discharge water from the dam on the North’s side,” the ministry statement reads. This demand reflects “fundamental measures” agreed between the two Koreas to protect the lives and properties of citizens in the border region.
A ministry official told NK News that the two Koreas conducted regular daily calls via inter-Korean hotlines through Monday evening, but the North Korean side did not pick up the phone Tuesday morning despite multiple attempts. The ministry presumes that it could be due to “technical difficulties” following heavy rain in the North, the official explained.
“Once the hotline is restored, we plan to deliver a formal notice to the North’s side,” the ministry’s statement reads. Another official also told reporters in a background briefing that two military hotlines on the east and west coast were also “unstable.”
At around 5 p.m., however, the ministry announced that the inter-Korean calls had resumed an hour earlier. While Seoul hoped to deliver a document on preventing flood damage, the North Korea’s ended the call without “without clarifying its stance on whether to receive” the notice.
The same matter was conveyed to the North’s side via the resumed western military hotline call as well, according to the unification ministry.
North Korean state television shows footage of flooded streets, rivers and fields, as a reporter covers developments on the ground | Image: KCTV (June 28, 2022)
HEAVY RAIN AND FLOOD ALERT
Earlier on Tuesday, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se visited South Korea’s Gunnam flood control dam near the inter-Korean border. The dam is downstream from North Korea’s Hwanggang Dam, which North Korea discharged water from in Sept. 2009 without notification, leading to six casualties.
“It rained a lot in the North, including Hwanghae Province, over the weekend, and that affects the South Korean side regions through the inter-Korean river,” a ministry official told reporters during a background briefing. “The purpose of [Kwon’s] visit is to ask the North to notify [us] in advance if it is in a situation where it needs to discharge water from the upstream dam.”
After the Sept. 2009 incident, the two Koreas held a working-level meeting the following month and reached an agreement that North Korea will notify the South if it intends to open its floodgates. But the DPRK has repeatedlyviolated this agreement, releasing large amounts of water into the Imjin River without prior notice.
A weather official explains on state television that the water level of Pyongyang’s Photong river was above four meters on Tuesday afternoon, causing flood damage. He said the city took measures to prevent flooding this year but that the river still could reach dangerous levels once rainfall reaches 50 to 80 millimeters. | Image: KCTV (June 28, 2022)
North Korea’s state television on Tuesday forecast that 300 to 500 millimeters of rain will fall in the provinces of Phyongan, Jagang, North Hwanghae from June 30 to July 1, as well as in inter-Korean border areas of Kangwon province and Kaesong city. The country previously issued a heavy rain alert for North and South Hwanghae provinces, Kangwon province and Kaesong from June 28 to June 30.
At around 3 p.m., Korean Central Television (KCTV) aired same-day footage of Pyongyang and on-the-ground coverage featuring reporters and weather officials. The broadcast announced a “flood alert,” explaining that the Chongchon river will reach “maximum” water level by Tuesday afternoon and that the Photong river will exceed “warning” level.
The broadcast followed a similar format to one KCTV began using when reporting on floods and heavy rains in summer 2020, airing warnings, forecasts and on-the-ground reports until well past the usual 10:30 p.m. signoff time.
Seungyeon Chung contributed to this report. Edited by Bryan Betts.
Updated at 5:48 p.m. KST with unification ministry updates on resumption of hotline operation.
Seoul has demanded that Pyongyang provide advance notification if it decides to open floodgates on a river that runs into the South, according to the unification ministry, after North Korea failed to answer inter-Korean hotline calls on Tuesday morning.
The ministry explained in a statement that “the communication connection between the South and the North is unstable,” emphasizing the “urgency of the matter” as heavy rains and flooding hit the DPRK.
Become a member for less than $5.75 per week.
Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis
The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop
Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns
Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting
Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts.
Chaewon Chung covers U.S., Chinese, and Japanese politics and national security in relation to North Korea. She previously worked at Coda Story covering disinformation and technology with a focus on the East Asia.
Jeongmin Kim is the Lead Correspondent at NK News and Editorial Director at KOREA PRO, based in Seoul. Kim covers inter-Korean relations and North and South Korean foreign and military affairs. Kim has covered the 2022 ROK presidential election on the ground, and prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency’s Seoul bureau.