South Korea demands apology for flooding

South Korea rejects the North's explanation for a deadly release of dam water, saying Pyongyang should clarify and apologise.

SEOUL // South Korea has rejected North Korea's explanation for a sudden, deadly release of dam water, saying today that Pyongyang should clarify and apologise for flooding that left six South Koreans dead or missing. The North said in its message yesterday 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 the 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," the unification ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung told reporters today. Mr Chun said South Korea wants "responsible North Korean authorities" to apologise 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 the Imjin River in the past week. An estimated 40 million tons 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 defence ministry, however, said yesterday there were no immediate signs the water release was meant as an attack. The South Korean president Lee Myung-bak said during a regular Cabinet meeting today that his heart was "aching because six innocent people were lost," according to a statement from his office. Mr Lee ordered officials to inspect the flooded area and work out how to prevent a recurrence. South Korean media said part of the blame must be put on a malfunctioning automatic warning system and officials' slow response to the river surge. The North Korean message was unexpectedly quick, coming only about six hours after South Korea sent a message seeking explanation for the flooding. The North also said it would warn its neighbour of similar releases in the future, and Mr Chun said South Korea would consider talks with the North to prevent such disasters from happening again.

* AP