North Korea, Russia agree to repair rail link

Deal part of linking Trans-Siberian, Korean lines

North Korea and Russia have agreed to mend railroad tracks running 55 km between Najin in the North and Hasan in Russia within the year, Pyongyang Radio said, citing a report on a Russian news web site.

The work is regarded a precondition for linking the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Trans-Korean Railway.

On July 23, the North’s Central News Agency also reported that the two nations have signed a protocol agreement on talks between North Korean Minister of Railways Kim Yong-sam and his Russian counterpart.

The deal comes after the two nations reached an agreement in 2004 among working-level officials to begin repair work on the rail link between the two towns. Its fulfillment, however, has been delayed due to lack of financing, as the work it is estimated to cost around 2 to 4 billion won (2 to 4 million USD).