Generals from North and South Koreas Thursday agreed on the
first train crossings over their heavily armed border in more than
50 years, a move long sought by Seoul as a symbol of
reconciliation.
The South Korea's Yonhap News cited a government source saying
generals from the two Koreas agreed to provide military security
measures on the day of a test train run and would exchange
statements of agreement early today.
The two Koreas are now planning a test run on May 17. One train
carrying about 100 people would make the crossing from the North on
the east coast and a similar one would cross from the South along
the west coast, South Korea officials said.
The last train to run between the North and the South was during
the 1950-53 Korean War, carrying wounded soldiers and refugees. The
two are technically still at war because their fratricidal conflict
ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
Despite the agreement with the South, Pyongyang said tensions
with its neighbor were still high because of a disputed maritime
border off the west coast.
"The situation in the West Sea of Korea (Yellow Sea) is so
unpredictable and serious that the third West Sea skirmish can
occur there anytime due to the arrogant moves of the South Korean
warlike forces," the North's KCNA news agency quoted a naval
command spokesman as saying.
The discussions were extended beyond their planned end Thursday
because the North wanted to talk about a maritime border and
fishing grounds, Yonhap said.
The South has built two sets of tracks from its side into the
North one about 60 km northwest of Seoul. It has also constructed
elaborate but now cavernous and idle stations near the border in
anticipation of rail travel between the two.
(China Daily via agencies May 11, 2007)
