The Imnam Dam (Hangeul: 임남댐, Hanja: 任 南 댐) is a dam in North Korea on the Bukhangang River (Bukhan River), which was completed in 2003. Construction began in 1986. The South Korean government immediately viewed the dam as a threat. The Bukhan is a tributary of the Hangang (Han River), and war scenarios foresaw that North Korea could unleash tidal waves that would inundate the capital of South Korea, Seoul . Although fear of a "water attack" has diminished, satellite photos from 2002 showed cracks in the North Korean dam that raised concerns that it could collapse after heavy rains. In September 2005, North Korea dumped a large amount of water without warning, which caused major flooding in South Korea. To protect itself from the impending danger, South Korea built the Peace Dam 22 miles south of its border. Since the Imnam Dam was built, the inflow to the Han River has decreased by 12 percent. This has resulted in environmental impact and water scarcity in the Seoul area. The dam is 710 meters long, 121.5 meters high and has an estimated storage capacity of 2,620 million cubic meters.
