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South Korean soldiers install safety equipment in preparation for an inspection of South Korean railways at Dorasan Station in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 18. (photo pool)
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Ceremony to be attended by representatives from the UN, China, Russia and Mongolia
Kaesong native Kim Kum-ok and four other divided family members are boarding a train at Seoul Station on Dec. 26 to take part in a groundbreaking ceremony at Kaesong’s Panmun Station for a railway and road linkage and modernization project for the Gyeongui (Seoul-Sinuiju) and Donghae (East Sea) lines. Government officials attending the event are to include the South Korean Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Minister of Unification and the chairman of North Korea’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF). Representatives are also to attend from the UN, China, Russia, and Mongolia. “The groundbreaking ceremony will begin at 10 am and last for a little over one hour at Panmun Station in Kaesong, including a congratulatory address (groundbreaking address) followed by a railway tie signing ceremony, track linking ceremony, street sign unveiling ceremony, and commemorative picture-taking,” the South Korean Ministry of Unification announced on Dec. 24. “Nine special train cars are to be scheduled for service between Seoul Station and Panmun Station for people attending the groundbreaking ceremony,” the ministry added. “Attendees from South Korea are to depart Seoul Station at 6:45 am and travel by way of Dorasan Station before arriving at Panmun Station in Kaesong at around 9 am,” it said. The South Korean attendees are to chiefly include Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi and Minister of Unification Cho Myung-gyon; Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan along with ruling and opposition floor leaders from the National Assembly; divided family members; Shin Jang-cheol, the last engineer on the Seoul-Sinuiju Line; students from Korea National University of Transportation; and Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund donors. According to the Ministry of Unification, six attendees are to represent North Korea, including CPRF Chairman Ri Son-gwon as guest of honor along with Chairman Pang Kang-su and Vice Chairman Pak Myong-chol from the National Economic Cooperation Committee; Vice Railway Minister Kim Yun-hyok; Vice Minister for Land and Environmental Protection Pak Ho-yong; and Kaesong People’s Committee Chairman Choi Pyong-ryol. Eight foreign guests are also scheduled to attend the ceremony, including the UNESCAP executive secretary, the Mongolian minister of road and transport development, the Russian minister of transportation, the vice president of the Railway Authority of Mongolia, the assistant secretary of the Chinese National Railway Administration, and the Chinese, Russian, and Mongolian ambassadors to South Korea. “This groundbreaking ceremony is significant in signaling the commitment of South and North Korea to cooperating actively toward the linkage and modernization of their railways and roads,” the Ministry of Unification said. “After the ceremony, we plan to proceed with additional and precise surveys, basic plan formulation, and design efforts,” it added. “Actual construction will be pursued as we observe progress with North Korea’s denuclearization and the situation in terms of international sanctions against the North,” it continued. By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
