| Hwanggang Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kangwon province Chorwon County, in 38°22′05″N 126°46′58″E / 38.3680°N 126.7827°E |
| Construction began | 2002[1] |
| Opening date | 2007[2] |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Imjin River |
Hwanggang Dam (Korean: 황강댐) is a hydroelectric dam on the Imjin River in Tosan County, North Korea. Located approximately 26 miles (42 km) north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the dam has an estimated capacity of 400,000,000 short tons (360,000,000 t).[2] Construction began in 2002 and was completed in 2007.[1] The stated aims of the project are to generate hydropower and provide water for crop irrigation.[2][3]
However it is also widely thought that the dam is to protect against the perceived North Korea / South Korea threat. South Korea also built two of its own dams in the area in the early 2010s.[3]
Flooding
In September 2009, without warning, North Korea released a massive amount of water from the dam, causing large floods in South Korea which killed a total of six people.[2] An estimated 40,000,000 short tons (36,000,000 t) of water was dumped during the flood, causing the water level at the border of Gyeonggi-do to leap from 7.5 feet (2.3 m) to 15.1 feet (4.6 m).[2][3]
References
- 1 2 Hyung-Jin Kim (2008-04-22). "NK Dam Could Threaten S. Korean Regions". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2012-09-15. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Choe Sang-hun (2009-09-07). "South Korea Rejects North's Explanation of Dam Release". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- 1 2 3 Hyung-Jin Kim (2009-09-07). "SKorea demands NKorea explanation for deadly flood". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-09-08.