Sanctions will remain an obstacle to further inter-Korean progress on rail cooperation.
On Friday, North and South Korea began a 16-day survey of railways along the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula. The initiative is part of this year’s ongoing inter-Korean collaboration projects.
The survey process began with a South Korean train carrying an inspection team into North Korea on Friday. The train crossed the military demarcation line (MDL), which has separated the two Koreas since the signing of the Korean War armistice in 1953. The crossing marked the first of its kind in 10 years.
The survey will cover two rail corridors in North Korean territory, one on the country’s eastern side and another along the western coast. First, the two sides will survey a section of the line connecting Kaesong, a North Korean city near the MDL, and Sinuiju, a city near the Chinese border. That survey is slated to be completed by December 5, according to the South Korean Unification Ministry. Thereafter, the two sides will survey a longer portion of the railway network connecting Mount Kumgang, a popular tourist destination in North Korea, and the Tumen river, along the eastern portion of the China-North Korea border.
