South Korea’s Unification Ministry downplayed a media report suggesting the country has limited capabilities to monitor North Korea’s dam water releases near the border, arguing Seoul has sufficient tools to detect and stave off threats from unexpected releases.

South Korea’s border-area safety measures remain effective even if the DPRK releases water from its Hwanggang Dam without prior notice, a ministry spokesperson said during a briefing Tuesday.

“In the past, our means of determining whether a water release had taken place were limited,” the spokesperson said. “But today, related scientific technologies have advanced significantly including satellite imagery analysis, hydrological monitoring, rainfall