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| Korea trains crossing border line | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A pair of passenger trains have begun the first rail crossings between North and South Korea for more than 50 years. | |
| The two trains - one travelling from the North and one from the South - are heading across the heavily-fortified border, each carrying 150 passengers. | |
| The five-carriage trains will travel about 25km (16 miles). | The five-carriage trains will travel about 25km (16 miles). |
| The test runs are the first since rail links were severed during the 1950-53 Korean War, and are being seen as a breakthrough in relations. | |
| "It is not simply a test run. It means re-connecting the severed bloodline of our people," South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joun said. | |
| A North Korean official, Kwon Ho-ung, said both nations "should not be derailed from the tracks" towards unification. | |
| Twin tracks | Twin tracks |
| Railway links are seen in the South as one of a number of ways to improve links with North Korea. | Railway links are seen in the South as one of a number of ways to improve links with North Korea. |
| The South has pushed for more frequent crossings, but in talks last week managed only to convince the North to agree to an initial test run. | The South has pushed for more frequent crossings, but in talks last week managed only to convince the North to agree to an initial test run. |
| The border region remains heavily mined, and a constant source of friction between North and South Korea, which never signed an official ceasefire at the end of their 1950-53 war. | The border region remains heavily mined, and a constant source of friction between North and South Korea, which never signed an official ceasefire at the end of their 1950-53 war. |
| A 4km (2.5 mile) buffer section in the middle of the border region is officially demilitarised. | A 4km (2.5 mile) buffer section in the middle of the border region is officially demilitarised. |
| The trains are scheduled to run on two sets of tracks, both built and maintained by South Korea. | |
| One runs between Munsan station in South Korea and the North's Kaesong station in the west of the peninsula. | |
| The other connects Jejin station and the North's Kumgang station in the east. | |
| The tracks have been reconnected - alongside roads - as part of recent reconciliation projects. | The tracks have been reconnected - alongside roads - as part of recent reconciliation projects. |
| Border issue | Border issue |
| Pyongyang does not recognise the border drawn by the United Nations at the end of the Korean War. | Pyongyang does not recognise the border drawn by the United Nations at the end of the Korean War. |
| Previous efforts to discuss cross-border trains have collapsed. | Previous efforts to discuss cross-border trains have collapsed. |
| A rail link would bring advantages to both sides. | A rail link would bring advantages to both sides. |
| For South Korea, it would mean easily transporting goods produced using cheap North Korean labour. | 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. | 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. | The line would boost tourism for the North by providing a link to a mountain resort on the east coast popular with South Koreans. |