hankyoreh

Regular cargo rail service on the Seoul-Sinuiju line, which connects North and South Korea, resumed yesterday for the first time in 56 years, rail traffic having come to an abrupt halt during the Korean War. For the time being, trains will mostly carry cargo to and from the Gaeseong (Kaesong) Industrial Park, but the line is expected to soon expand to goods needed for inter-Korean economic cooperation and for carrying any aid that needs to be sent to North Korea. This marks the beginning of an era of inter-Korean economic cooperation that uses railways.

The first effect of this train will be reduced time and money for sending goods over the border. This in turn will be a major contribution to improving conditions for Southern companies operating in Gaeseong. It is also very significant for being the first step in connecting the whole of the Korean Peninsula with the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR) and the Trans-Chinese Railway (TCR). For decades South Korea has been something of an island, because it has been cut off from a land route heading north up the peninsula. Now we are securing more of the conditions that reinforce our identity as a continental nation.

Among the items agreed on at the inter-Korean summit last October, it is cooperation on road and rail links that has been the easiest to implement. On-site inspections in preparation for work on the Gaeseong-Pyongyang expressway and the rest of the Seoul-Sinuiju rail line beyond Gaeseong, the section that would link Gaeseong and Sinuiju, has begun. The whole Seoul-Sinuiju line is going to be complete by August of next year, in time for the official inter-Korean Olympic cheering squad to take the train all the way from Seoul to Beijing. Rail and road links are important in the sense they are a test of how determined North Korea is about reform and openness, because the figures for how much is transported between the North and the outside world are an important indicator for assessing how open it has become.

North and South Korea are making progress in various areas of economic cooperation, much of it simultaneously. Naturally, the nuclear issue has to be settled for these projects to be successful. North Korea’s National Defence Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il needs to respond to U.S. President George W. Bush’s personal letter as soon as possible. The U.S. is leaning towards establishing relations with Pyongyang, but on the premise that it issues a “complete and accurate declaration of its nuclear programs.” Yesterday it was announced that the New York Philharmonic Orchestra will play in Pyongyang in February, something that reflects the present atmosphere. Pyongyang must not idle away this unprecedented opportunity.

The more people and goods that pass between North and South Korea, the stronger basis is built for the formation of a Korean peninsular economic community and reunification. For not there is only going to be one train crossing a day, but this is in no way insignificant as far as what it means for re-linking the “veins and arteries” (hyeolmaek) of the Korean peninsula. One hopes to see that the operation of this train appeases Pyongyang’s fear of the outside and that this leads to a proactive approach to declaring its nuclear capabilities, contributing to a wider-ranging and faster-paced inter-Korean relationship.


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