By Ko Chang-nam
Almost two years have passed since President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed on an inter-Korean railway project in April 2018. Since then some progress has been made on the project, including the ground-breaking ceremony held Dec. 26, 2018.
South Korean railway experts were dispatched to North Korea in late November and early December 2018, to conduct an inspection on railway conditions in North Korea
However, since the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim in February 2019, inter-Korean relations have been at a standstill, and activities on the inter-Korean railway project have all stopped.
Amid the deadlock, however, Seoul has made efforts to resume the rail project. On Jan. 7 this year, President Moon offered a broader inter-Korean cooperation, while proposing to create conditions for Kim's visit to Seoul.
Moon said that if the two Koreas can find "realistic" ways to reconnect railways and roads across the inter-Korean border, it could lead to international cooperation and resume the suspended inter-Korean tour program on an individual basis.
On Jan. 15, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul expressed his willingness to facilitate the rail project. He underscored a lapse of 20 years since the first inter-Korean summit where the then leaders of South and North Korea agreed to link their railways and roads.
On Jan. 22, South Korean ambassador to the U.S., Lee Soo-hyuck, said that, the inter-Korean railway project is the one we need to push for urgently, given the fact that it will take the longest. The South Korean government is said to be drawing up a list of equipment and goods required for an intensive survey of the inter-Korean railway project.
For the acceleration of the inter-Korean railway project, I would like to stress three reasons why the project should continue "constantly."
First of all, the project has already been agreed upon by Moon and Kim. Therefore the two Koreas specifically want this project.
Secondly, the international community also wants the inter-Korean railway project, and it is consistent with what neighboring countries want as well. China has launched the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure project linking Europe and Asia.
An inter-Korean railway, if completed, could serve as the eastern extension, creating the overland connection between South Korea and prosperous Chinese cities across the Yellow Sea from the Korean Peninsula, including Beijing and Shanghai.
A stable inter-Korean railway may also motivate Japan to finally begin working on the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel, a project that had been under discussion since the 1980s.
Thirdly, the inter-Korean railway project is closely related with the East Asian Railway Community Initiative. As you know, President Moon proposed this initiative, on Aug. 15, 2018, that would involve the six countries in Asia, namely South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia and Mongolia, in addition to the U.S.
In this regard, Moon said, "Linking the inter-Korean railways is the beginning of co-prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, and it's the core project of the East Asian Railway Community Initiative."
After all, the inter-Korean railway project is not only desperately needed by the two Koreas but also globally required by neighboring countries. It needs to be discussed on a global platform such as at the U.N. in the near future. Therefore, we cannot overemphasize the importance of international cooperation in Northeast Asia and beyond.
Ko Chang-nam is a former economic affairs officer of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
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South Korean railway experts were dispatched to North Korea in late November and early December 2018, to conduct an inspection on railway conditions in North Korea
However, since the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim in February 2019, inter-Korean relations have been at a standstill, and activities on the inter-Korean railway project have all stopped.
Amid the deadlock, however, Seoul has made efforts to resume the rail project. On Jan. 7 this year, President Moon offered a broader inter-Korean cooperation, while proposing to create conditions for Kim's visit to Seoul.
Moon said that if the two Koreas can find "realistic" ways to reconnect railways and roads across the inter-Korean border, it could lead to international cooperation and resume the suspended inter-Korean tour program on an individual basis.
On Jan. 15, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul expressed his willingness to facilitate the rail project. He underscored a lapse of 20 years since the first inter-Korean summit where the then leaders of South and North Korea agreed to link their railways and roads.
On Jan. 22, South Korean ambassador to the U.S., Lee Soo-hyuck, said that, the inter-Korean railway project is the one we need to push for urgently, given the fact that it will take the longest. The South Korean government is said to be drawing up a list of equipment and goods required for an intensive survey of the inter-Korean railway project.
For the acceleration of the inter-Korean railway project, I would like to stress three reasons why the project should continue "constantly."
First of all, the project has already been agreed upon by Moon and Kim. Therefore the two Koreas specifically want this project.
Secondly, the international community also wants the inter-Korean railway project, and it is consistent with what neighboring countries want as well. China has launched the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure project linking Europe and Asia.
An inter-Korean railway, if completed, could serve as the eastern extension, creating the overland connection between South Korea and prosperous Chinese cities across the Yellow Sea from the Korean Peninsula, including Beijing and Shanghai.
A stable inter-Korean railway may also motivate Japan to finally begin working on the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel, a project that had been under discussion since the 1980s.
Thirdly, the inter-Korean railway project is closely related with the East Asian Railway Community Initiative. As you know, President Moon proposed this initiative, on Aug. 15, 2018, that would involve the six countries in Asia, namely South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia and Mongolia, in addition to the U.S.
In this regard, Moon said, "Linking the inter-Korean railways is the beginning of co-prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, and it's the core project of the East Asian Railway Community Initiative."
After all, the inter-Korean railway project is not only desperately needed by the two Koreas but also globally required by neighboring countries. It needs to be discussed on a global platform such as at the U.N. in the near future. Therefore, we cannot overemphasize the importance of international cooperation in Northeast Asia and beyond.
Ko Chang-nam is a former economic affairs officer of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
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