Inter-Korean Railways to Be Re-linked by Year-end

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, August 28, 2003

Inter-Korean Railways to Be Re-linked by Year-end

Seoul and Pyongyang officials agreed Thursday to reconnect railways and roads across the inter-Korean border by the end of this year.

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Seoul and Pyongyang officials agreed Thursday to reconnect railways and roads across the inter-Korean border by the end of this year.

The agreement was included in a nine-point joint press statement released at the end of the three-day Sixth Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Promotion Meeting in Seoul on Thursday.

To realize such goal, South Korea agreed to make efforts to provide the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with the necessary equipment to the construction.

The two countries last September begun de-mining work in the demilitarized zone located between the two countries and finished the work at the beginning of this year.

South Korea and the DPRK joint held symbolic re-linking ceremony of the inter-Korean railway in June to celebrate the three anniversary of the joint South-North Joint Declaration signed in 2000 during former President Kim Dae-jung's Pyongyang visit.

The two delegations also agreed to cooperate to ensure an industrial park under construction in the DPRK's city of Kaesong has international competitiveness by working on follow-up measures.

South Korea's Hyundai Asan Corp. is building the Kaesong Industrial Complex there for South Korean companies who want to relocate their garment, footwear and other labor-intensive plants.

Moreover, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to take necessary measuresto revitalize the financially troubled Mount Geumgang tour programsponsored also by Hyundai Asan.

The two sides confirmed the overland route to the DPRK resort will be reopened in September as schedule. The overland tour to the mountain opened February, but suspended for some reasons.

As of June, Hyundai Asan had suffered financial losses of 800 billion won (678.9 million US dollars) since the launch of the program in November 1988 due to a lack of tourists. And the tour project attracted more attention from the world with the suicide of Hyundai Asan's Chairman Chung Mong-hun earlier August.

To further promote bilateral economic cooperation, South Korea and the DPRK promised to take follow-up measures concerning the bilateral economic accords put into effect last week.

In addition, the DPRK allowed South Korea to make on-site inspection of three of the DPRK's food distribution centers next month. In May, South Korea agreed to send 400,000 tons of rice to the DPRK.

The next round of economic talks is scheduled to be held in Pyongyang in late October, said the agreement.

The economic accords came at a time when the two sides on the Korean Peninsula and China, the United States, Russia and Japan are engaging in three-day talks aiming to solve the DPRK nuclear issue

The DPRK delegation left here after concluding the meeting withthe agreement, heading for Pyongyang via Beijing.

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