“I want to see the railways between the two Koreas be reconnected as quickly as possible. I want it to be a major starting point.”
“Railways are actual linking channels for the two Koreas and I wish to discuss many other issues and cooperative projects based on this railway reconnection business.”
- Hong Yong-pyo, unification minister
Hong Yong-pyo, unification minister (image: Ministry of Unification)
SEOUL, July 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s unification minister expressed hope on Sunday that the reconnection of the railway linking Seoul and the North Korean city of Wonsan will be a “starting point” for inter-Korean cooperation down the road.
The 223.7-km-long railway was built in 1914 and served as a major supply route from Seoul to Wonsan before it was severed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
The Seoul government earlier said that it will start construction of the 11.7-km-long section of the railway running through Gangwon Province next month in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of its independence from Japan.
The minister noted that there are many projects the two Koreas could cooperate on and the Seoul government’s position is to tackle any difference with the North through conversation, calling for Pyongyang to return to the negotiation table.
Construction of the southern section of the Seoul-Wonsan railway will be completed by 2017 with a total of 150.8 billion won to be invested in the project.
Though some railways have been reconnected between the two Koreas in recent years, no train is allowed to pass through them since the countries technically remain at war. The 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not in peace treaty.
(Yonhap)
