Water level at Imjin River's Pilseung Bridge tops 1 meter, prompting evacuation of riverside visitors

Heavy rainfall has pushed the water level at Pilseung Bridge — located along the southern limit line of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on the Imjin River in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province — above 1 meter, triggering an evacuation order for riverside visitors.

According to Yonhap and the Han River Flood Control Office, the water level at Pilseung Bridge reached 1 meter at around 8:10 a.m. Saturday and continued rising to 1.1 meters by around 8:50 a.m. A heavy rain advisory was issued for the Yeoncheon area of Gyeonggi Province at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

The water level at Pilseung Bridge had held at around 0.7 meters Friday afternoon before beginning a gradual rise in the early hours of Saturday.

The Imjin River is a shared waterway between North and South Korea, with roughly 60 percent of its basin lying in North Korean territory. Water flowing down from North Korea passes through Pilseung Bridge before entering South Korea, then moves through the Gunnam Flood Control Dam in Yeoncheon and continues downstream toward Paju.

Water levels at Pilseung Bridge are managed under a four-tier alert system. A level above 1 meter triggers an evacuation of riverside visitors; 2 meters prompts civilian evacuation outside the flood season; 7.5 meters activates the "Attention" level for border-area crisis response; and 12 meters raises the alert to the "Caution" level.