By Lee Min-hyung
A group of South Korean railway researchers and engineers returned home Wednesday after completing an inspection of the North's western railways, as part of the inter-Korean railway reconnection project.
Another group of experts will start an inspection of the North's eastern railways spanning 800 kilometers from Mount Geumgang to the Tumen River from Dec. 8 to 17.
Twenty-eight researchers from the South departed for the North on Friday to inspect the condition of the 400-kilometer train line linking the North's southern border town of Gaeseong with Pyongyang and Sinuiju, a town on the border with China.
This is part of their joint efforts to realize the Panmunjeom Declaration reached this April when South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to jointly inspect the North's train tracks for reconnection.
The researchers carried out a visual examination of the train tracks and used portable equipment for the inspection.
The two Koreas also agreed to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the plan to reconnect inter-Korean railways and highways no later than the end of this year.
The Ministry of Unification said Wednesday it is pushing ahead with the drive as scheduled.
Both sides are negotiating detailed schedules for the project, according to ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun.
“The two Koreas are on track to hold the ceremony this year as planned, to be in line with a recent inter-Korean agreement in Pyongyang,” he said.
The agreement, signed by Moon and Kim in September during their third summit this year, states the two Koreas will hold the ceremony to reconnect their rail networks this year.