Trains Cross Inter-korean Border For First Time In Over 50 Years

[Andrew8]

Today, for the first time in over 50 years, the two rails were reconnected and trains from both North and South Korea, crossed the borders from both West and East side of Korea...

Western Korea: Munsan Station in the South for Gaeseong Station in the North

Eastern Korea (Gangwon Province): Geumgangsan Station in the North for Jejin Station in the South

A very historic day and also promotes the cause for having the PyeongChang 2014 Winter Olympics!

The News Article Link

Trains cross inter-Korean border for first time in over 50 years

A North Korean train on Thursday (May 17) departed for South Korea across the heavily armed border for the first time in more than half a century, a highly symbolic move toward renewed reconciliation and stronger economic ties on the Korean Peninsula.

At the same time, a South Korean train left for the North. The two five-car trains, each carrying 100 South Koreans and 50 North Koreas, crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) dividing the two countries. They are to return to their points of departure in the afternoon. In the eastern section of the peninsula, the North's train departed from Geumgangsan Station for Jejin Station in the South on a 25.5-kilometer track, while the other train in the western side of the peninsula left Munsan Station in the South for Gaeseong Station in the North on a 27.3-kilometer track.

Before the trains departed, South and North Korea held ceremonies to mark the historic event at Geumgangsan and Munsan stations, respectively.

At Munsan Station, Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung and his North Korean counterpart Kwon Ho-ung delivered commemorative speeches, and at Geumgangsan Station, Lee Yong-sup, South Korea's construction minister, and Kim Yong-sam, the North's railway minister, officiated the ceremony.

The reconnection of roads and train lines severed during the 1950-53 Korean War was one of the tangible inter-Korean rapprochement projects agreed upon following the historic summit between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000.

South Korea hopes to use the restored railways to help North Korean workers commute to a joint industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong as well as to transport South Korean tourists to the North's scenic Mount Geumgang.

The Gyeongui (Seoul-Sinuiju) line cutting across the western section of the border was severed on June 12 in 1951, while the Donghae (East Coast) line crossing the eastern side was cut shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War. A set of parallel roads has been in use since 2005 for South Koreans traveling to the North. South and North Korea used radio communication between Dorasan Station in the South and Panmun Station in the North for the western rail line, and between the South's Jejin Station and the North's Kamho Station for the eastern one. The stations are closest ones to the border on both sides.

In May 2006, North Korea abruptly called off the scheduled test runs, apparently under pressure from its hard-line military. The cancellation also led to the mothballing of an economic accord in which North Korea would receive $80 million worth of light industry raw materials from the South in return for its natural resources. North Korea's subsequent missile and nuclear weapons tests further clouded hopes of implementing the agreement.

In March, the two Koreas agreed to put humanitarian and economic inter-Korean projects back on track just days after North Korea promised to take the first steps toward its nuclear dismantlement in return for energy aid and other concessions from the other five members of the six-party talks.

South and North Korea are still technically at war, as the Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

[Gangwon]

I was watching live coverage of this earlier this morning. Great news indeed. First time in 56 years! It would be great if passengers and cargo were allowed through the North into China and Russia, even if there was no stopping in North Korea. It would dramatically lower transport costs for a trading nation like the South, and think about the tourist opportunities between China, Russia/Siberia and South Korea! One can always hope...

[Andrew8]

More pictures of this event....

[rolilau]

This are really good news for the region.

[Andrew8]

A continuation of the reconciliatory efforts from the two Koreas....

http://korea.net/News/News/NewsView.asp?se...01∂=102

North Korean cargo ship makes first port call in Busan

A North Korea-registered cargo ship arrived in South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan on Sunday (May 20) for the first time in more than half a century, the latest symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation efforts.

The 1,853-ton freighter Kangsong, carrying a 27-member crew, docked at the port around 12:30 a.m. after departing from the North's western port of Nampho Friday (May 18), according to local maritime police.

The cargo ship is to make three round trips between Busan and the North Korean northeastern port city of Rajin every month beginning Monday (May 21).

It was first time a North Korean cargo ship made a call at Busan since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Kukbo Express Co., a South Korean company that runs the ship, said it launched the regular service on expectations of steady growth in trade volume between the two Koreas.

South and North Korea are still technically at war since the conflict did not end with a peace treaty, but inter-Korean contact has increased unprecedentedly since the two countries' historic summit in 2000.

The cargo ship's visit to Busan is the latest in a series of inter-Korean reconciliation moves.

On May 17, the two Koreas carried out the first-ever test run of their reconnected railways, marking the first time that trains crossed the inter-Korean border since the war. The one-time test came after repeated delays since the rail lines were re-linked in 2003 and despite unresolved tensions over the North's nuclear programs.