Koreas agree to start work on rehabilitating overland transport artery

SEOUL -- A much-heralded inter-Korean project to rebuild a cross-border transport artery will begin this year as the United States and North Korea are ready to open a new round of talks on arranging a fresh summit between their leaders.

The two Koreas agreed to hold a ground-breaking ceremony in late November or early December for their joint project to modernize and re-connect severed railways and roads across the border. The agreement came at talks at the truce village of Panmunjom, led by South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and his North Korean counterpart, Ri Son-gwon.

They will conduct a joint study into a railway in the western part of the border in late October and another line in the eastern part in early November. Based on the results of the joint study, South Korea would rebuild North Korean railway stations and related facilities.

At an inter-Korean summit in April, the two Koreas agreed to connect and modernize cross-border railways and roads. South Korean officials have admitted full inter-Korean cooperation depends on progress in negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington on denuclearization.

A breakthrough was made in U.S.-North Korea talks when U.S. Secretary of Stae Mike Pompeo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang this month to arrange a second meeting between U.S. and North Korean leaders.

Moon said earlier that Kim wanted a quick second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and expressed his willingness to focus on economic development through an early conclusion of denuclearization talks. Trump has ruled out the possibility of South Korea lifting sanctions on North Korea without U.S. approval.
Lim Chang-won Reporter cwlim34@ajunews.com

Lim Chang-won cwlim34@ajunews.com

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