WORK IS expected to start this month to reinstate the rail link between North and South Korea, which has been disused for over 50 years. Reinstatement of the missing section of the Seoul - Pyongyang main line is to be completed before the end of next year, as part of the current political process to restore contacts between the two countries. Representatives from the two governments were due to agree detailed schedules at a second inter-Korean ministerial meeting in Pyongyang on August 29-31.
The former Kyongui line from Seoul to the Chinese border at Sinuiju was severed in 1945. Services were gradually reinstated after 1953, apart from the 30 km across the Demilitarised Zone between Munsan in the south, 46 km from Seoul, and Kaesong in the north. Tracks remain in place beyond both stations, leaving a 20 km gap to be filled.
Reconstruction of the missing link has been costed at 144·5bn won, of which around 50bn will be incurred on the southern side.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has offered to provide two army divisions totalling 35000 people to speed up the work, and South Korea has already deployed troops on de-mining work in the 4 km wide DMZ. Visiting Pyongyang on July 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered assistance with restoring the link, which would connect South Korea’s ports with the Trans-Siberian corridor.
The South Korean government has formed a special team in its transport ministry to oversee the restoration of rail links. Headed by Vice-Minister Kang Un-mo, it includes the Directors General of the unification and national defence offices and Korean National Railroad. n
