(2nd LD) N. Korea appears to have ‘significantly increased’ water discharge from border dam: ministry

North Korea appears to have "significantly increased" the amount of water discharged from the upstream of a dam near the inter-Korean border Thursday amid heavy rain, the environment ministry said. Satellite imagery taken at 3 a.m. showed that the downstream of North Korea's Hwanggang Dam on the Imjin River had widened, a change not visible in photos taken the previous day. The environment ministry said the amount of water released from the dam appears to have increased significantly, based on another satellite image taken at around 3 p.m., saying the discharge began without prior notice to South Korea. The water level of the South's northernmost Pilseung Bridge on the Imjin River had reached 3.65 meters as of 6:30 p.m., compared with 2.88 meters posted as of 6:20 a.m. The rise in water level was due to the influence of heavy rain near the Imjin River, aside from the water release from the dam. If the North discharges 500 tons of water per second from the dam, it usually takes about nine hours to reach t he bridge. The ministry said it updated the military and local government on the latest situation and activated an emergency response system. In 2009, North Korea agreed to notify South Korea in advance when it plans to release water from the dam, following an accident that killed six South Koreans after the North discharged water from the dam without notice. But since then, North Korea has given such prior notice only three times, according to the unification ministry. On June 28, the ministry urged North Korea to give prior notice if it releases water from the dam, citing the need to prevent damage in border areas from possible heavy rains. "Despite our request for prior notice, it is very regrettable that the North has discharged the water," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity. Source: Yonhap News Agency