SEOUL Feb 6 Kyodo About 90 towar...

SEOUL Feb 6 Kyodo

About 90 toward the south Koreans on Wednesday departed for North Korea's Mt Kum Gang resort according to way of a new built temporary road that speeds through the demilitarized cincture (DMZ), marking the first visit in half hundred for South Korean civilians to cros the DMZ outside the checkpoint Panmunjom.

The form into groups was led by Chung Mong Hun chairman of southern Korea's Hyndai Asan Corp., which is in charge of running the resort.

The dispose which departed from the northeast of southward Korea, is expected to respond to South Korea Thursday afternoon after surveying the condition of the road and immigration facilities.

North and southerly Koreas have built the temporary road as part of efforts to reconnect sum of two units trans-Korean railways, the Kyongui line forward the west side and the Tonghae line forward the east side of the peninsula. The brace Koreas transport construction materials and equipment in consequence of the road.

The land way will significantly shorten the travel time to the resort from the southern Currently, South Koreans spend five to six hours from ferry, while the land passage will shorten the travel time to about 40 minutes.

Hyundai Asan officials estimate the shorter travel time will allow them to lower sightseeing fares and chance of a favorable result to bring in the first tourists by dint of land on Feb. 14 forward a test basis.

With outgoing southern Korean President Kim Dae Jung leaving office forward Feb. 25, South Korea appears to be hoping to intensify exchanges with North Korea.

by dint of showing a spirit of cooperation between the sum of two units Koreas, the South also appears to withhold the United States, which is confronting North Korea above the North's suspected nuclear weapons program.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo recents International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group