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South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon reports on the results of the first South Korea-US working group meeting. (Hwang Joon-bum

The US has voiced its full support for a joint survey for the linking of South and North Korean railways.

The inter-Korean railway linkage project now appears poised to gain momentum after being slowed amid a failure to make progress in North Korea-US denuclearization negotiations.

Meeting with South Korean correspondents in Washington, DC, on Nov. 20 after a first South Korea-US working group meeting with US State Department Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Biegun, South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon announced that the US had “confirmed its strong support” for the inter-Korean joint railway survey effort.

A senior government official acquainted with the working group discussions explained, “The inter-Korean railway linkage effort was not the chief agenda topic, but it was discussed at the meeting.”

“Progress had been made in past South Korea-US discussions, and all that remained was coordination on technical details,” the official added.

Explaining the “technical details” in question, the official said, “It’s not anything serious, but was meant to get things in order as cleanly as possible so we can move on.”

“The South Korean government’s goal is to have a groundbreaking ceremony [following the survey] within the year,” the official added.

South and North Korea originally agreed to begin their joint survey of conditions on the Gyeongui (Seoul-Sinuiju) railway line in late October, with a groundbreaking ceremony to be held for the link-up between late November and early December. Instead, the joint survey failed to get off the ground at all amid a failure to make progress in North Korea-US denuclearization talks. The US suggested that inter-Korean relations were “getting ahead of things,” arguing that improvements in inter-Korean relations should occur in tandem with North Korea’s denuclearization.

The US’ message of “strong support” for the joint railway survey reads as both an affirmation that it does not intend to sabotage the effort and a hint that some progress may be taking place in North Korea-US dialogue. Some observers are speculating that a high-level meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean Workers’ Party Vice Chairman and United Front Department Director Kim Yong-chol – originally scheduled to take place on Nov. 8 but canceled one day before – could soon materialize.

“For a second North Korea-US summit to be held early next year like the US is saying, discussions would have to start around this time,” a senior administration official said.

“I have heard that North Korea and the US are continuing their discussions on the schedule for high-level talks,” the official reported.

Lee and Biegun also agreed on plans to make the working-level meetings a regular event if possible.

“We’d like for there to be discussions on the order of twice a month,” a senior South Korean administration official said.

The working group is chaired on the South Korean side by Lee, with other participants including North Korean nuclear issue diplomatic task force director Jeong Yeon-du. On the US side, the group is chaired by Biegun with additional members including deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Alex Wong, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for North Korea Mark Lambert, and White House National Security Council Korean Peninsula aide Allison Hooker. Other participants from the Blue House and other ministries are expected to take part according to the issues discussed.

The working group was suggested by Seoul as a setting for systematic discussions on denuclearization, inter-Korean cooperation, and implementation of sanctions. Part of the aim was to allay concerns in the US that inter-Korean relations were “getting ahead of” North Korea-US dialogue.

Responding to a question on North Korea in a Nov. 20 press conference, Pompeo said, “We have made clear to the Republic of Korea that we do want to make sure that peace on the peninsula and the denuclearization of North Korea aren’t lagging behind the increase in the amount of inter-relationship between the two Koreas.”

“[T]hat’s the purpose of the working group that’s being led on our side by Stephen Biegun,” he added.

“We view them as tandem, as moving forward together. We view them as important parallel processes,” Pompeo said of denuclearization and improvements in inter-Korean relations.

“[T]hat working group is designed to make sure they continue to remain that way,” he continued.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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