S. Korea set to launch rail traffic with N. Korea in 3-4 years
VLADIVOSTOK. Oct 30 (Interfax) - The South Korean province of Gangwon-do may resume rail traffic to and from the North Korean port of Wonsan and Russia's Trans-Siberian Railway via the Primorye territory in three to four years.
"If the process continues as peacefully and smoothly as it is now, and the denuclearization of North Korea also proves successful, we are hopeful to accomplish this project and to launch rail traffic from Busan to Siberia or even Europe via Vladivostok," Gangwon-do Vice-Governor Chung Man Ho told the press on the sidelines of the 23rd summit of international exchanges and cooperation between regional administration of Northeast Asian countries in Vladivostok on Tuesday.
The resumption of rail traffic between the two Koreas has been discussed at a bilateral meeting, Chung said.
"Hopefully, it will resume within the next few years," he said.
There are also plans to start rail traffic with China and Mongolia, Chung said
"Rail traffic to and from Mongolia, China, and other countries is also possible. This is actually what we are planning to do," Chung said.
The press secretary of the Gangwon-do provincial administration, Park Chung Wan, said on Monday that South Korea was planning to resume rail traffic with North Korea. The project may kick off in 2018, he said.
The rail line is expected to connect the Gangwon-do province, the North Korean city of Wonsan, and Russia's Primorye Territory. The Trans-Siberian Railroad will enable traffic to the European part of Russia.