Seoul eyes resuming inter-Korean rail project

SEOUL appears to be looking to resume a joint railway project with Pyongyang as it seeks a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations, amid halted nuclear negotiations between the US and North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week called for a renewed drive on various inter-Korean projects, such as cooperation on the border area, joint bid to co-host 2032 Summer Olympics, inter-Korean railway and road project and individual tourism.

Ever since he floated plans for Seoul to assume an active role – and less of a bystander – in dealing with Pyongyang, key officials have been calling for more engagement with North Korea, with plans to allow South Korean tourists to the North receiving the most spotlight so far.

“I believe the project we should push for most urgently and is doable is connecting the railway network between South Korea and the North because it will take the longest [time] to complete,” Lee Soo-hyuck, South Korean Ambassador to the US, told reporters in Washington.

“The overarching principle of the projects the government is pushing is that we should do the most we can within the framework of international sanctions.”

His comments come amid a rare display of rift between Seoul and Washington on Moon’s renewed engagement policies with Pyongyang.

The US has called on South Korea to discuss its plans, including allowing individual tourism to the North, first through its working-level group, to avoid weakening the allies’ united front on North Korea.

“As far as I know, the US has never rejected any of [our proposals at the working group],” he said, adding the US’ stance is that inter-Korean cooperation could help in denuclearising North Korea.

The highly-publicised project to modernise North Korean railways and roads and connect them with the South broke ground in December 2018, following an agreement reached during the interKorean summit in April that year.

The two Koreas carried out a joint inspection of the North’s railway and roads, but the project has been stalled due to UN-led sanctions against the North.

The government has started updating a list of equipment and supplies for the railway project, as it will need to request an exemption from the UN Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee, to go ahead and take the materials to the North.

It plans to talk with the US, possibly through the joint working group on North Korea, for exemption on USled sanctions if needed. During the joint inspection in 2018, the UNSC had granted an exemption for some materials that the South needs to send to the North for the project.

“On the inter-Korean railway project, additional inspection is required,” said Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Sang-min during a regular briefing on Wednesday.

“For the additional inspection, we are preparing at working levels on areas that need to be prepared.”