Inter-Korean railway

[Anchor Lead]

The South Korean delegation surveying North Korean railways has returned from the North after inspecting the northern section of the Gyeongui Line. The inspections are part of a summit agreement reached between the leaders of the Koreas in April to modernize and reconnect rail systems across their borders. Though no date has been set, the government is aiming to hold a ground-breaking ceremony within this month on connecting and modernizing inter-Korean railways and roads.

[Pkg]

The 28 officials of the South Korean delegation surveying North Korean railways has crossed the military demarcation line and arrived at the Inter-Korean Transit Office. The delegation traveled in the North 400 km from Kaesong to Sinuiju by an inter-Korean train. After six days of surveying, the delegation found that the situation on some of the North Korean railroads has not changed much over the past 11 years, when the previous survey was conducted.

[Soundbite] Lim Jong-il (Head of S. Korean railroad survey delegation) : "Judging from our past experience, the North's railroads have not improved nor have they become much worse."

The delegation will embark on surveying a 1,200-kilometer section of the Donghae Line on December 8. If the survey goes as planned, the inter-Korean railroad connection project could be commenced by the end of this year. Meanwhile, the decision on whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Seoul this year could be made soon. A government source says that should Kim visit Seoul, discussions of security and logistics issues will probably take at least a week. Seoul believes that Kim's visit will become a turning point not only in the inter-Korean relations but also in the stalled denuclearization talks. The source added that although Pyongyang has yet to respond, it will likely decide on the matter soon.