Villages on inter-Korean border flooded after heavy rainfall

임진강 군남댐 제한 수위 11m 넘어....역대 최고 수준

On and off heavy downpours continue to pound large parts of South Korea.
Last night, northern Gyeonggi-do Province was once again slammed by heavy rainfall, inundating many of the villages and towns near the inter-Korean border.
As a result, over 3-thousand people have had to evacuate their homes.
Lee Kyung-eun reports.
Another round of torrential rain has slammed South Korea's Gyeonggi-do Province overnight.
Many villages near the border with North Korea are in total chaos, as the Imjin River in Paju City has seen its water level reach a record high.
At the Pilseung Bridge in Yeongcheon County, the water level is nearing 12 meters -- the threshold for ordering an emergency alert for all border areas.
Surrounding villages have been flooded.
Trees are broken.
And buses were almost completely submerged.
So far, some 3-thousand people had to evacuate their homes.

Controlling the water level of the Imjin River is Gunnam Dam.
As the dam neared its full storage level due to the heavy downpours, it opened all its 13 floodgates for the first time in two years, releasing tons of water into the river.
But beside the large precipitation itself, the flooding is also attributed to an enormous amount of water discharged from North Korea.
Previously the North's Hwanggang Dam released tons of water without giving prior notice to South Korea.
Governor of the Gyeonggi-do Province Lee Jae-myung and unification minister Lee In-young expressed regret over the North's act on Thursday.
And they called for cooperation in this time of natural disaster for the safety of the people in the border villages.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.