What nonsense:

North Korea on Monday claimed a sudden massive discharge of water from an Imjin River dam that led to flash floods on the South Korean side of the border was occasioned by “rising water levels” at the dam. Six campers were swept away in the floods, but the North offered no apology.

An intelligence officer said the explanation was “unconvincing” since about 300-400 mm of rain fell in the upper reaches of the Imjin River in early July, but there has been no record of more than 200 mm of rainfall there in recent days.

The government expressed “regret” that the explanation was unconvincing and made no mention of the lives lost.  [Chosun Ilbo]

As I pointed out yesterday this flood was likely intentional and defectors in South Korea agree:

North Korean defectors say the Stalinist country’s National Defense Commission could be behind the decision to release a huge amount of water from a dam on the Hwang River early Sunday morning. Six South Koreans died in flash floods caused by the unannounced release on the southern side of the border.

One defector, a former official in the North Korean Cabinet, on Monday said, “North Korean dams close to the military demarcation line belong to the Ministry of Electrical Industry, but as they are linked to military tactics to release dam water as a weapon that could threaten South Korea, massive releases of water from dams are decided by the commission.”

That implies that dams near the border were built to play a dual role of supplying water to factories or for irrigation and of flooding South Korea in wartime.

A former senior North Korean official said, “There is the likelihood that by releasing water from the Hwang River Dam, North Korea showed one of several ways in which it could threaten South Korea.” He suggested that the release of water from the dam was probably a long-premeditated provocation.  [Chosun Ilbo]

The North Koreans are likely provoking the South Korean government in order to remind the Lee Myung-bak administration of yet another way they can strike at South Korea if Lee doesn’t hurry up and restart the same level of aid they used to receive from the prior administration.