hankyoreh

PYONGYANG: On May 17, as South and North Korean trains crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for the first time in more than 50 years, the sky of Pyongyang was clear. It had rained all morning the previous day, but the rain was over in the afternoon. In the morning on this day, it was so clear that people could see a distant mountain. The city was cool due to strong winds. The Daedong River flowing by the Yanggakdo International Hotel on Yanggak Island rippled gently.

In South Korea, there were extensive media reports about the railway test runs, but Pyongyang’s media was quiet in contrast. The North Korean Central News Agency briefly reported about the railway tests between the North and South, adding, "Prior to the trial runs, there were briefings and speeches about the construction for the railway reconnection on the east and west side of the Korean peninsula."

The news agency talked about the sections of rail used for the test runs as well as the special delegation of passengers aboard, but did not mention the historical meaning of the trial runs, nor offer an evaluation of the proceedings. For its main story, the Rodong Shinmun, organ of the North Korean Workers’ Party, reported about a rally urging the people to wage campaigns against South Korean pro-U.S. conservatives advocating confrontation and South Korea’s main opposition Grand National Party (GNP).

At Yanggakdo Hotel, Japan’s NHK and Britain’s BBC TV, shown via satellite, reported about the inter-Korean railway trial runs, but people around the hotel did not seem to know of the news at all. A caddie at a golf course smiled shyly, saying that she had never heard about the test runs. A captain of a cruise boat anchoring on the banks of the Daedong River said that he thought the railways had already been reconnected.

But North Korean officials guiding economic delegations from the South spoke about the railway test runs, welcoming them as good for South-North reconciliation and cooperation, but at the same time showing a restrained attitude.

Prior to the test runs, The Hankyoreh requested interviews with the North Korean delegation related to the trial runs, as well as the ability to take photographs of Pyongyang Station, but the North did not accept. An official repeatedly said that it is not acceptable to photograph busy areas.

At a forum on May 15, Park Jeong-seong, a high-ranking official of the North Korea’s railways, said, "It would have been better if the railway tests had been conducted after all the preparation work had been completed."

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]