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| Koreas agree cross-border train | Koreas agree cross-border train |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| North and South Korea have ended four days of high-level military talks with agreement on cross-border train tests and the disputed western sea border. | North and South Korea have ended four days of high-level military talks with agreement on cross-border train tests and the disputed western sea border. |
| In a joint statement the two sides said they had agreed to provide security guarantees for a rail test-run across the border planned for next week. | In a joint statement the two sides said they had agreed to provide security guarantees for a rail test-run across the border planned for next week. |
| They also agreed to create a joint fishing zone in the West Sea, the scene of bloody naval clashes in the past. | They also agreed to create a joint fishing zone in the West Sea, the scene of bloody naval clashes in the past. |
| Analysts say the deal is a significant breakthrough for the two Koreas. | Analysts say the deal is a significant breakthrough for the two Koreas. |
| Reconciliation projects | Reconciliation projects |
| South Korea has long sought security guarantees from the North for a train to cross the heavily fortified border. | South Korea has long sought security guarantees from the North for a train to cross the heavily fortified border. |
| The test-run, scheduled for 17 May, will see the first such crossing since rail links between the two were severed during the 1950-53 Korean War. | The test-run, scheduled for 17 May, will see the first such crossing since rail links between the two were severed during the 1950-53 Korean War. |
| Tracks have been reconnected - alongside roads - as part of recent reconciliation projects. | |
| KOREAN BORDER 240km long and 4km wide, the DMZ takes up about 0.5% of Korean peninsulaN Korea has 1.1m man army along the border. S Korea and US forces total more than 700,000 | KOREAN BORDER 240km long and 4km wide, the DMZ takes up about 0.5% of Korean peninsulaN Korea has 1.1m man army along the border. S Korea and US forces total more than 700,000 |
| "The two sides have decided to discuss the issue of adopting a statement of agreement on military security for the operations of railways and roads," the joint statement said. | "The two sides have decided to discuss the issue of adopting a statement of agreement on military security for the operations of railways and roads," the joint statement said. |
| If the test goes ahead, a train will cross from the North on the east coast and another will cross from the South on the west coast, officials said. | If the test goes ahead, a train will cross from the North on the east coast and another will cross from the South on the west coast, officials said. |
| They will travel about 25km (16 miles) and terminate their journeys a few kilometres inside the opposite territory. | They will travel about 25km (16 miles) and terminate their journeys a few kilometres inside the opposite territory. |
| However, the north has resisted demands to allow further crossings after that. | |
| The talks by generals in the truce village of Panmunjom were extended into a fourth day so they could seek a resolution to the disputed maritime border, Yonhap news agency reported. | The talks by generals in the truce village of Panmunjom were extended into a fourth day so they could seek a resolution to the disputed maritime border, Yonhap news agency reported. |
| Pyongyang does not recognise the border drawn by the United Nations at the end of the Korean War, which has resulted in naval clashes over the rich fishing grounds. | Pyongyang does not recognise the border drawn by the United Nations at the end of the Korean War, which has resulted in naval clashes over the rich fishing grounds. |
| Previous talks on cross-border trains have collapsed because of the North's insistence that the sea border issue be discussed. | Previous talks on cross-border trains have collapsed because of the North's insistence that the sea border issue be discussed. |
| "The two sides have shared the view that preventing military conflict and creating a joint fishing zone in the West Sea is an issue to be urgently resolved in the course of easing military tension and establishing peace," Friday's joint statement read. | "The two sides have shared the view that preventing military conflict and creating a joint fishing zone in the West Sea is an issue to be urgently resolved in the course of easing military tension and establishing peace," Friday's joint statement read. |
| This is the latest in a series of relationships that have slowly been re-established between the two sides in recent years, as the South has sought to engage with the secretive neighbour it is still technically at war with. | This is the latest in a series of relationships that have slowly been re-established between the two sides in recent years, as the South has sought to engage with the secretive neighbour it is still technically at war with. |
| A rail link would bring advantages to both sides. | |
| For South Korea, it would mean easily transporting goods produced using cheap North Korean labour. Seoul hopes one day to connect its rail network to the Trans-Siberian railway, which runs from China through to Europe. | |
| The line would boost tourism for the North by providing a link to a mountain resort on the east coast popular with South Koreans. |