N. Korea Dam Threatens Water Supply
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A second-term lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) urged the government to take immediate action to curb negative fallout from North Korea's self-serving use of water resources.
``South Korea has suffered a decreased amount of water flow as well as other negative effects due to dam building in the North, aimed at power generation for its industries and households,'' said Rep. Kim Sung-soon.
Kim made the remark at a meeting of the National Assembly's Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Committee.
In 2003, the North completed building the Imnam Dam in Wonsan near the North Han River, which was designed to generate power and increase its water supply.
The North Han River feeds the South Han River and the dam has begun to have serious effects on water flowing into South Korea.
A Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water) report found that the amount of water reaching the Hwacheon Dam in the South has decreased by 43 percent following the completion of the Imnam Dam.
K-Water said the North also began building a dam on the Imjin River in 1999 to provide industries and households in Gaesong with water and power. The dam will be completed in the near future.
``If the second dam is completed, the amount of water flowing into the Imjin River in the South is expected to decrease,'' Kim said.
Beside the decreased water flow, Rep. Kim said water quality has worsened and flood control is at risk.
Kim urged K-Water to take adequate measures to secure the water supply.
The lawmaker also asked the government to sit down with their North Korean counterparts to discuss mutually beneficial use of water resources.
``The water resource issue should be addressed through inter-Korean dialogue,'' he said.
The lawmaker said the government should quickly complete the ongoing construction of the Peace Dam near the North Han River, which is designed for flood control in Gunnam, Gyeonggi Province.