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Two Koreas agree rail timetable | |
(about 15 hours later) | |
North and South Korea have agreed a timetable for establishing cargo rail services between their two nations, the first for over 50 years. | |
Trains will begin crossing the border on 11 December, connecting South Korea with an industrial zone in the North. | |
The agreement came after a three-day meeting in Seoul between South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and his North Korean counterpart Kim Yong-il. | |
The talks were the first between prime ministers of the two Koreas since 1992. | |
They followed a historic summit last month between leaders of the two nations, only the second since the Korean peninsula was partitioned more than five decades ago. | |
The leaders signed an accord calling for greater peace and economic partnership, and the prime ministers have been using their meeting to implement some of the proposals. | |
'Expand investment' | |
There is currently no rail service between North and South Korea. In May, two trains crossed the border in a test-run and South Korea has since been pushing for more regular rail links. | |
THE TWO KOREAS 1910: Korean Peninsula colonised by Japan1945: Divided into US-backed South and Soviet-backed North1950-1953: Korean War, no peace deal signed1987: North Korea bombs a South airliner, killing 1151990s: South Korea introduces conciliatory Sunshine Policy2000: Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung hold first leaders' summit2007: Kim Jong-il and Roh Moo-hyun hold second leaders' summit History of the Korean War | THE TWO KOREAS 1910: Korean Peninsula colonised by Japan1945: Divided into US-backed South and Soviet-backed North1950-1953: Korean War, no peace deal signed1987: North Korea bombs a South airliner, killing 1151990s: South Korea introduces conciliatory Sunshine Policy2000: Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung hold first leaders' summit2007: Kim Jong-il and Roh Moo-hyun hold second leaders' summit History of the Korean War |
Under the deal, cargo trains will run along a 25km (16 mile) section of track linking Munsan in the South with Bongdong in the North. | |
This would improve access to the Kaesong industrial complex, a joint economic zone on the North Korean side of the border. | |
South Korea has also agreed to repair roads and railways linking the complex with other parts of North Korea, and to help with the development of a shipping district in the North's port city of Haeju. | |
"The agreements set the stage for our companies to expand investment in the North and substantially contribute to its economic development," the South Korean prime minister said in a statement. | |
The two sides also agreed to begin negotiations on setting up a joint fishing zone around a disputed sea border in the first half of next year. | |
The area has been the scene of serious naval clashes in the past. | |
The two Koreas have been divided for more than 50 years and remain technically at war, but in recent years ties have improved under Seoul's policy of economic engagement. | |
Pyongyang's broader international ties also appear to be taking a turn for the better. | |
In February, North Korea agreed to end its nuclear programme in return for aid. It is currently in the process of disabling its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. | |