South Korea rejected North Korea’s explanation for a sudden, deadly release of dam water, saying yesterday that Pyongyang should clarify more thoroughly and apologize for flooding that left six South Koreans dead or missing.
The North said in its message on Monday that it “urgently” had to release dammed water to a river flowing across the border between Saturday night and Sunday morning because the water level was too high. The release caused Imjin River’s level to double on Sunday, sweeping away six South Koreans camping and fishing near the border dividing the two Koreas.
“North Korea’s message is not the level we can understand and we think it is very regrettable because it did not have any mention of our serious human casualties,” Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung told reporters yesterday.
Chun said South Korea wants “responsible North Korean authorities” to apologize and offer “sufficient” explanation on why it had to release such a large amount of water without notice.
South Korean officials have raised questions over North Korea’s excuse, saying there had been little rain in areas north of Imjin River in the past week.
An estimated 40 million tonnes of water came from a new North Korean dam — one that some in the South had warned the North could use as a weapon. South Korea’s Defense Ministry, however, said on Monday there were no immediate signs the water release was meant as an attack.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said during a regular Cabinet meeting yesterday that his heart was “aching because six innocent people were lost,” according to a statement from his office.
Lee ordered officials to inspect the flooded area and work out how to prevent a recurrence of the disaster. South Korean media said part of the blame must also be put on a malfunctioning automatic warning system and officials’ slow response to the river surge.
The North Korean message was unexpectedly quick as it came only about six hours after South Korea sent a message seeking explanation for the flooding. The North also said it would warn its neighbor of similar releases in the future, and Chun said South Korea would consider talks with the North to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
North Korea and South Korea technically remain in a state of war, divided by a heavily militarized border, because their three-year conflict in the 1950s ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Relations improved under the “Sunshine Policy” espoused by two liberal South Korean administrations, but went cold after the election of conservative President Lee Myung-bak 18 months ago.
Pyongyang recently reached out to Seoul again, agreeing to restart suspended joint economic projects and resume the reunions of families divided during the Korean War.
As part of anti-flooding efforts, South Korea has been building two dams in the area, scheduled to be completed by 2011 and 2012. On Monday, the Land Ministry said in a statement it would advance the construction of the first dam by one year in the wake of Sunday’s flooding.
About 4,460 soldiers and rescuers continued to search for the remaining three missing people yesterday, fire officer Kang Wan-sik said.
Also yesterday, a dozen civic activists staged an anti-North Korea rally in central Seoul, tearing paper North Korean flags and calling the flooding a “barbarian provocation” by the North.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese