The government is claiming that unexpected torrential rains and the prolonged monsoon season were to blame for heavy flood damage in southern regions, rejecting accusations that flooding along the Seomjin River was caused by errors in dam management.

The Environment Ministry and the Korea Water Resources Corporation on Wednesday issued the position in a meeting with reporters, saying the amount of water they released from dams accorded with weather forecasts. 

The response came after heads of five local municipalities along the Seomjin River issued a joint statement that the severe flooding in the area was caused by the corporation's mismanagement of dam operations and failed control of discharges.

A ministry official, however, blamed unprecedented heavy downpours and inaccurate precipitation forecasts for the flooding damage.

A corporation official also said that they have to consider possible flood damage upstream and downstream as well as the safety of dams when deciding how much water to release. 

The official added that they absolutely depend on weather forecasts in making that decision, but recent uncertainty in those forecasts have made it difficult to predict circumstances.