North Korea on Monday blamed a sudden surge in the dam’s water level for the deadly “emergency” release.
“The North itself has said it had deliberately discharged dam water. This means the water discharge was not made accidentally or by mistake,” Hyun told legislators after follow-up questions.
“The South Korean government is still studying for what purpose the North discharged the water,” he said.
A spokesman for his ministry said Hyun was not necessarily saying the North released the water as a deliberate act of aggression.



