SEOUL, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A dam discharge that killed six South Korean civilians showed no evidence that North Korea staged a water attack, a South Korean official said Friday.
Kim Tae-young, the defense minister-nominee, told a parliamentary confirmation hearing in Seoul that the water level at the North Korean dam was "unpredictably high" at the time of the discharge, Yonhap news service reported.
Kim, the current chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said North Korea was seeking to adjust water levels when it unleashed the dam water Sept. 6.
Following the incident, North Korea said that it had to drain water to prevent an overflow. South Korea at the time rejected the account and demanded an explanation and an apology.
Some people in South Korea had voiced suspicion that the release was a military offensive by the Communist neighbor.
