The Peace Dam (평화의 댐) is a South Korean

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

on the

Bukhan River The Bukhan River () is a tributary of the Han River that flows through both North and South Korea. It traverses Kangwon province in North Korea and Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces in South Korea. The Bukhan River's headwaters lie in North Korea ...

. It was built to stave off possible catastrophic flooding should the upstream

Imnam Dam Imnam Dam is a dam on the Bukhan River in North Korea, completed in 2003. Construction began in 1986. The dam was immediately seen as a threat by the South Korean government. The Bukhan River is a tributary of the Han River, and war scenarios fo ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

collapse, either intentionally or by accident. The dam was completed in 2005. As it stands, the dam has no reservoir, and is merely preventive. Daelim Industrial Co,.Ltd, leading contractor for the Peace Dam construction project, began the construction in 2012 and ended in 2014. The design company for the project was Isan. Construction began in 1987, in reaction to a perceived threat following the construction of the Imnam Dam by North Korea. The Bukhan River is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the Han River, and catastrophic scenarios foresaw a flood engulfing the South Korean capital of

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

in case of an attack by North Korea. Construction was halted before completion, amidst allegations that the threat had been grossly exaggerated. Construction resumed after satellite photographs in 2002 revealed the existence of cracks in the Imnam Dam, triggering fears that it could collapse in case of heavy rains. In September 2005, North Korea released massive quantities of water without warning, causing serious flooding just south of the border. The Peace Dam is 601 meters wide, 125 meters tall, and capable of holding 2.61 billion tons of water. Its construction cost $429 million.

References

Dams in South Korea Hwacheon County Dams completed in 2005 2005 establishments in South Korea Embankment dams Flood control in South Korea {{Asia-dam-stub