Summary of inter-Korean news this week

SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.

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(2nd LD) Unification ministry expresses regret over 'groundless claims' on origin of its COVID-19 outbreak

SEOUL -- South Korea's unification ministry on Thursday voiced strong regret over North Korea's claim that its COVID-19 outbreak had originated from the South and its threats of an unspecified retaliatory step.

Earlier in the day, Pyongyang's state media reported that leader Kim Jong-un held a national meeting the previous day and declared victory in the campaign against COVID-19.

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N. Korea appears to release border dam water without prior notice: official

SEOUL -- North Korea appears to be releasing water from a dam near the inter-Korean border without giving prior notice to the South, a South Korean government official said Monday, as the North is drenched by heavy downpours.

"As rain has fallen heavily in North Korea, the North is repeatedly opening and closing the floodgates of Hwanggang Dam," the unification ministry official said. "It seems (the North) is adjusting the Hwanggang Dam's water level based on the rainfall situation."
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